The Falcons are supposedly OK with a $180 million backup quarterback.
Atlanta general manager Terry Fontenot said the franchise is “comfortable” with keeping Kirk Cousins on as the No. 2 behind Michael Penix Jr. in 2025.
“Kirk is a great man and he’s been great support for Mike, a great teammate, great support for everybody in the building, so we’re very confident moving forward with him as the backup,” Fontenot said during a Thursday press conference.
Cousins, who signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons last offseason, struggled during his first season in Atlanta after returning from an Achilles tear.
The 36-year-old threw a career- and league-high 16 interceptions in just 14 games before losing the starting job to Penix, whom Atlanta took with the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
While speaking to reporters Thursday, Fontenot said the team expected “to get high-level quarterback play for two seasons” out of Cousins when they signed him to the massive deal last March.
“We understand that that didn’t happen,” Fontenot continued. “Nobody was happy to make the switch at that time. … So now what happens is we had to accelerate that plan and go to Mike earlier and yet the allocation of the quarterback position — the cap allocation — is we’re eighth in the league.
“That’s what we planned for with Kirk as the starter. He’s not the starter anymore, but we’re very comfortable moving forward with him as the backup.”
In December, ESPN reported that Cousins was expected to be cut by Atlanta before his $10 million roster bonus hits on March 1, although NFL Network refuted that, reporting a day later that keeping the veteran QB is not “off the table.”
If they hang on to Cousins through March 1, the Falcons are sure to dangle him on the trade market in hopes of getting out from under the big-money contract.
After brief appearances in two games before getting the starting job, Penix threw for 737 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions as the Falcons’ QB1 over their final three games.
