Kirk Cousins Will Remain with Falcons as Backup QB for Michael Penix Jr., GM Says

Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot reiterated his intent Tuesday to keep Kirk Cousins in the fold as the backup quarterback.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Fontenot said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis that Cousins will remain with the team for the foreseeable future. Per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Fontenot also said Cousins will be the backup to Michael Penix Jr.

Fontenot's comments came after he said in January that he was "very confident moving forward with [Cousins] as the backup."

Fontenot also disclosed he was not aware Cousins was dealing with shoulder and elbow injuries, which he initially disclosed in early February.

"He was on the injury report that one week," Fontenot said. "When a player is injured, we put him on the injury report and that's the only time he was on the injury report. So as far as we're concerned, that's the only injury we're aware of."

Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons last offseason, but after failing to live up to expectations, he was benched in favor of Penix for the final three games of the 2024 campaign.

In 14 starts last season, Cousins went 7-7 and completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and a league-high 16 interceptions.

While the 36-year-old veteran was solid early in the year, he went through a miserable stretch in November and December, going 0-4 and throwing no touchdowns and eight interceptions.

After throwing one touchdown and one pick in a 15-9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, Cousins was removed from the starting lineup and replaced by Penix.

Cousins began his career in Washington before playing six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He earned three Pro Bowl selections during his time in Minnesota and went 50-37-1 as a starter, while throwing for 23,265 yards, 171 touchdowns and 55 interceptions.

His 2023 campaign was cut short due to a torn Achilles, but the Falcons still made a significant investment in Cousins in free agency.

Because of that, it came as a shock when Atlanta used the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Penix.

Had the Cousins signing worked out, Penix would have ridden the bench for at least a few years, but it ended up being a worthwhile investment, as Cousins was nowhere near the player the Falcons thought they were getting.

In his three starts to end the 2024 season, Penix wasn't dominant by any means, as he went 1-2 and completed 58.1 percent of his passing attempts for 775 yards, three touchdowns and three picks, while also rushing for a score.

However, he showcased enough potential to earn the opportunity to start in 2025, leaving Cousins very much in flux.

Releasing or trading Cousins this offseason could be an option, but a release before June 1 would cost the Falcons an extra $25 million against the salary cap, and it is unlikely a team would trade for him since they would have to take on his contract as is.

With that in mind, the most cost-effective move for the Falcons at this point may be to enter 2025 with Cousins as the backup, giving them a quality contingency plan should Penix get injured or struggle.