Kirk Cousins' Top NFL Landing Spots After Aaron Rodgers' Steelers Contract

As long expected, the Pittsburgh Steelers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers agreed to terms on a one-year deal announced Thursday.

So one of the big quarterback question marks has now been answered, but another one remains.

Kirk Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons last offseason, but he was benched late in the campaign for Michael Penix Jr., the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 draft.

The 36-year-old quarterback has made it clear to team owner Arthur Blank he wants to be elsewhere in order to get a chance to play. However, the Falcons have no interest in releasing them and would prefer to trade Cousins. ESPN's Marc Raimondi provided more information on May 9.

"But rather than release him, the Falcons picked up a $10 million roster bonus for Cousins on March 15, which will take effect in 2026. The team has made it clear that it won't just cut him without getting any compensation from another organization. Cousins, who has a no-trade clause, has made it known that he wants to be a starting quarterback in the NFL this coming season. He went as far as a phone meeting with owner Arthur Blank to plead his case for being released."

So it's a trade or bust, it seems. The issue is that Cousins' contract, especially after he struggled mightily over his final five games (one touchdown, nine interceptions), is hard for any team to absorb, even if Atlanta could absorb some money off the deal.

On the flip side, it's not impossible to see a desperate team make a move for whatever reason later this offseason. Not every team has a great quarterback situation at this point, and Cousins was exceptional for the first nine games (17:7 TD-INT ratio, 69.2 percent completion rate, 258.7 yards per contest).

So while a trade looks unlikely, it's not impossible. Viewing the QB room situations around the league, here's a guess at the three most likely landing spots for Cousins if he does leave Atlanta via trade.

New Orleans Saints

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

New Orleans has very little experience in the quarterback room right now following Derek Carr's retirement. Spencer Rattler, a 2024 fifth-round pick, has the most with six starts under his belt last year. Jake Haener, a 2023 fourth-round pick, didn't play two years ago but made one start in 2024.

And then there's Tyler Shough, who could very well be starting in 2025. The rookie was the No. 40 overall pick (second-rounder) this year's draft and the third quarterback taken off the board behind Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart.

Shough has plenty of collegiate experience (42 games over six years) but obviously none on the professional level.

In theory, Cousins could come in and be the starter for this team. He's a four-time Pro Bowler with 159 starts and 288 touchdown passes (284 more than the Saints' QB room combined) over 13 seasons.

On the flip side, Atlanta could certainly be reticent to trade Cousins within the NFC South, especially to a heated rival. But if we're looking at the best places where Cousins could land and start, New Orleans is arguably the top option.

Indianapolis Colts

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

The Indianapolis Colts' current quarterback competition is between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson. Unfortunately, Richardson is currently sidelined with an aggravation of the AC joint in his right shoulder. He notably suffered a sprain of that AC joint in 2023, keeping him out for the rest of the campaign, his rookie year.

When asked about a timetable, Colts head coach Shane Steichen had this to say, per ESPN's Stephen Holder on Thursday.

"Not going to put a timetable for training camp on it, but when he does come back, we'll ease him into throwing and then we'll go from there," Steichen said.

Thankfully, this injury doesn't require surgery, whereas the past one did. Hopefully Richardson's rehab goes well and he's able to make it back in time for training camp in July.

There's a few concerns here, though. First, if Richardson's injury becomes a long-term concern, then the Colts are short a quarterback. In addition, both Richardson and Jones have had their fair share of on-field struggles. Richardson was notably benched for Joe Flacco last year, while Jones was benched in the middle of last season on the New York Giants.

So there's potential here for Indianapolis to need another quarterback at some point. Cousins could obviously be available for trade, so he's an option Indianapolis could pursue.

Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

The Cleveland Browns have been linked with Cousins multiple times this offseason (but not that recently). The Athletic's Dianna Russini had this to say on April 1.

"I don't know how far along it is right now. I just know there is enough smoke around this and enough conversation being had that this wouldn't be a surprising move. Knowing Kevin Stefanski coached Kirk Cousins when he was in Minnesota, it makes a lot of sense on why that would work."

One day later, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk called the Browns and Steelers the best fits for Cousins.

It certainly made sense, given that the Browns didn't (and still don't) have a clear-cut QB1 option on the roster.

The Browns did sign Joe Flacco on April 11 before adding Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the third and fifth rounds of the draft, respectively, two weeks later. They now have a quarterback room of four with Kenny Pickett already onboard. Deshaun Watson will miss most (or all) of the 2025 season with a re-rupture of his Achilles tendon.

However, Cousins is arguably the best quarterback of the bunch, as his resume proves. In theory, if the Browns aren't comfortable with naming anyone from that quarter QB1, then a trade could potentially transpire. Plus, the connection with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, who was Cousins' quarterbacks coach with the Vikings in 2018 and offensive coordinator in 2018 and 2019, is certainly notable here as well.