Overview

• The Falcons have solidified rookie Michael Penix Jr. as their starter and retained Kirk Cousins as the highest-paid backup in the NFL.
• Cousins’s four-year, $180 million deal carries $27.5 million fully guaranteed in 2025 and a $40 million cap hit, making his contract largely untradeable without significant salary relief.
• Atlanta rebuffed early offers that covered roughly $10 million of Cousins’s salary, having sought around $20 million in cap savings to facilitate a trade.
• The Los Angeles Rams have emerged as the leading potential suitor given Stafford’s ongoing back issues and the presence of former McVay assistants on the Falcons’ staff.
• With no agreement imminent, the Falcons plan to hold out for either a quarterback crisis or a restructuring that makes Cousins’s contract more palatable to other teams.