NFL Insider: Veteran FA QBs Concerned After Kirk Cousins-Michael Penix Jr. Situation

Veteran free-agent quarterbacks on the open market this year reportedly learned a harsh lesson from Kirk Cousins' situation with the Atlanta Falcons last offseason.

After signing a massive contract with the Falcons at the start of free agency, Cousins was caught off-guard when the franchise used the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NFL draft to select quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who eventually replaced him as the starter late in the year.

During Tuesday's episode of Get Up, ESPN's Dan Graziano explained that this year's crop of free-agent signal-callers is hoping to avoid the circumstances that Cousins endured during the 2024 campaign.

"There is a concern among some of the veteran quarterbacks that what happened to Kirk Cousins last year in Atlanta could happen to them," Graziano said around the 10:05 mark. "Like all of a sudden I sign with you and now a month later you draft a guy, and halfway through the season I'm not your quarterback anymore."

Cousins could find himself joining this year's group of free-agent quarterbacks, as the Falcons are widely expected to release him before his roster bonus for the 2026 season becomes guaranteed on March 17. Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson are among the other veterans on the open market this offseason.

There are still many quarterback-needy teams around the NFL, so it will be interesting to see how the dominoes fall as free agency continues this week.