Falcons GM 'Comfortable' with Kirk Cousins as Backup to Michael Penix Jr. in 2025

Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot suggested Thursday that veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins could remain on the roster next season as the backup to Michael Penix Jr.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Fontenot said: "We are very comfortable moving forward with [Cousins] as backup. Kirk is a great man and he's been great support for Mike. We are very comfortable moving forward with him as the backup."

The Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million in guaranteed money this past offseason, but he was replaced by Penix in the starting lineup in Week 16 after struggling for much of the season.

Coming off suffering a torn Achilles with the Minnesota Vikings last season, the 36-year-old Cousins went 7-7 in 14 starts this season and completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and a league-high 16 interceptions.

Fontenot told reporters that he expected "high-level quarterback play" out of Cousins in 2024 after giving him two years of guaranteed money, but Cousins was ultimately unable to deliver.

Even after signing Cousins to a significant contract, the Falcons made the surprising decision to select Penix with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft out of Washington.

It was widely believed that the Falcons planned to let Penix sit and learn behind Cousins for the entire 2024 season, but head coach Raheem Morris made a change in the midst of Cousins' struggles.

In his three late-season starts, Penix went 1-2 and completed 58.0 percent of his passing attempts for 737 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions, plus he rushed for a score.

Despite being a trendy pick to win the NFC South and reach the playoffs, the Falcons went 8-9 and finished two games behind the division-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Last month, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that executives across the NFL expected the Falcons to release Cousins before his $10 million roster bonus is due March 17.

However, NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe reported this week that while the Falcons will listen to trade offers for Cousins, they don't want to outright release him, and they are open to having him as the backup next season.

Per Spotrac, releasing Cousins before June 1 would result in $65 million in dead cap for the Falcons, while trading him before June 1 would lessen the dead cap to $37.5 million.

A post-June 1 release would lessen the dead cap to $40 million in 2025 and $25 million in 2026, while a post-June 1 trade would mean $12.5 million in dead cap in 2025, $25 million in dead cap in 2026 and $27.5 million in cap savings in 2025.

It is somewhat difficult to envision another team wanting to trade for Cousins and his contract after his performance in 2024, so the Falcons' only choices may be to either cut or keep the veteran signal-caller.

While it is far from ideal to have such a highly compensated backup, it may be best for the Falcons to take their proverbial medicine and keep him rather than putting themselves in an even worse salary cap situation by releasing him.

Regardless of where Cousins ends up in 2025, though, all signs point toward the Falcons entering 2025 with Penix as their starter.