FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot answered questions regarding quarterback Kirk Cousins' future with the organization, after he started only 14 games during the 2024 season.
The Falcons' ideal plan when they signed Cousins to a four-year, $90 million fully guaranteed deal in March of 2024 prior to drafting Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick a couple months later was for Cousins to be the quarterback of the present and Penix to be the quarterback of the future. How long the time between present and future ended up being was up for debate. Ideally, because of the way Cousins' contract was structured, it would be two seasons, per Fontenot, considering that's what the Falcons guaranteed.
No one — not even the Falcons — expected the timeline to be just 14 games that separated the present and the future. The future came quick.
"When you do that, you expect to get high-level quarterback play for two seasons," Fontenot said of Cousins' contract. "We understand that that didn't happen."
The Falcons made the switch from Cousins to Penix for the final three games of the season. Leadership made it no secret that they will move forward with Penix as the starting quarterback for 2025 and — they hope — the years to come, with head coach Raheem Morris calling Penix "the light at the end of the tunnel" for the Falcons.
This development simultaneously means the Falcons have a few decisions to make about Cousins. Fontenot reiterated multiple times in his 30-minute press conference Thursday that Atlanta feels "very comfortable" moving forward with Cousins as Penix's backup in 2025.
This presents a problem as well as questions, though, seeing as Cousins will be the highest-paid player on the Falcons' roster in 2025. A tough pill to swallow because if things go well with Penix, Cousins won't see the field. According to OverTheCap, Cousins' cap number in 2025 is $40 million. He is set to make $27.5 million in guaranteed salary this year.
Breaking down the options the Falcons have, they could always cut, or keep him, as they can with any player they so choose. They could also try to work out a trade scenario. The issue is that there are pitfalls with any option.
If the Falcons decide to keep Cousins on the roster, he is owed a $10 million roster bonus at the start of the league year in March. He will take up 14.4% of the Falcons' cap space in 2025, a large chunk for any player but a significant one for a backup.
If the Falcons were to cut Cousins prior to June 1, they'd take on $65 million in dead money. That hit would drop to $40 million if he were cut after June 1. According to Fontenot, this is not the path the Falcons will be taking.
When the news of the Falcons' switch up at quarterback first broke in December, national reports came out that the Falcons would plan to cut Cousins prior to that $10 million roster bonus hitting the books. Asked about these reports, Fontenot said there was no validity to them, and the Falcons are planning to move forward with Cousins on the roster.
However, they could pursue the option of a trade. It's this option in which the waters are murky. Built into Cousins' contract is a no-trade clause. That clause can only be waived by Cousins and his team, not by the Falcons. When asked whether or not the Falcons would be open to receiving calls about Cousins from other quarterback-needy teams, Fontenot affirmed, but with notable stipulations based on the limitations of the contract.
"We will take those things as they come," Fontenot explained. "That's a specific (scenario). Everyone would have to be good with it — his camp, his supporters, (Cousins' agent) Mike McCartney, Kirk Cousins, us, the other team. There's a lot of layers to that, and we will take those as they come."
For Fontenot and the Falcons, they are faced with the ramifications of the Cousins' deal, which along with its impact on the salary cap was also cited in a tampering violation in which the Falcons lost their 2025 fifth-round pick. It is not an ideal situation, but it is one the Falcons are "comfortable" taking on considering they were going to pay Cousins "anyway."
Fontenot claimed that when it comes to cap space being allocated specifically to the quarterback position, the Falcons are 8th in the league.
"We planned to have that cap allocation at that position with (Cousins) as the starter," Fontenot said. "Now, it's been flipped and he's the backup and, obviously, Mike is the starter and we believe we are going to get high-level quarterback play. ... We are comfortable where we are and we have to make sure we be creative and find ways to build this team the right way."
And in conclusion, he stated: "I understand it is not ideal to have a backup taking up that much (cap space). I totally understand, but where we have to make the decision whether we are going to release the player, keep the player, that's what I am saying. We are comfortable keeping him on the roster, as opposed to releasing him."
