Remember that gut-punch moment in Madden when you drop back, see the blitz coming, but every receiver’s route is just a tick too slow? You scramble, panic sets in, and the pocket collapses. That’s the vibe surrounding Kirk Cousins in Atlanta Falcons territory right now. A veteran QB suddenly trapped behind the line, scanning frantically for an escape route that simply isn’t there.
“I always thought the most likely thing to happen with Kirk Cousins is he’s still going to be there,” PFF’s Sam Monson declared bluntly on the ‘Check the Mic‘ podcast, dissecting the Falcons’ awkward QB room with the precision of a surgeon reading a defensive coverage. His prognosis wasn’t hopeful. “I don’t really see the way out unless an injury strikes and a team gets desperate enough, because there just weren’t that number of opportunities.”
Cousins arrived in Flowery Branch last year riding the hype of a $180 million free-agent deal, envisioned as the missing piece to elevate a talented young offense. Instead, his 2024 campaign became a cautionary tale scripted for Netflix’s ‘Quarterback’ Season 2: flashes of brilliance (like that franchise-record 509-yard, 4-TD explosion against Tampa Bay), undermined by a lingering shoulder injury, mounting interceptions (16), and ultimately, the sight of prized rookie Michael Penix Jr. taking the reins down the stretch.
NFL, American Football Herren, USA New York Giants at Atlanta Falcons Dec 22, 2024 Atlanta, Georgia, USA Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. 9 and quarterback Kirk Cousins 18 run on the field before a game against the New York Giants at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta Mercedes-Benz Stadium Georgia USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xBrettxDavisx 20241222_bdd_ad1_001
Monson didn’t mince words about the fallout: “Given the season that he just came off, like he’s a massive risk. I mean, he might be done, right?” He pointedly added, “That offense had to be built around his limitations last year and it still wasn’t enough to stop him playing his way to the bench… He might be—his time as a starter might be completely done.”
The Falcons’ offseason moves screamed commitment to Penix. Cousins’ conspicuous absence from early OTAs whispered discontent, a veteran signal-caller perhaps hoping to force a trade.
From franchise face to luxury clipboard: Cousins waits for chaos to call
But the market Monson described is ice cold. A 36-year-old QB coming off a benching, carrying a $27.5 million cap hit this year, and wielding a no-trade clause? It’s the NFL equivalent of trying to sell a luxury sedan with a rebuilt transmission and a sky-high asking price. Teams aren’t lining up. “It feels like he is stuck on the Atlanta Falcons roster,” Monson observed, outlining only two grim exit ramps:
“One, a player gets injured and the team suddenly becomes absolutely desperate for any form of starting-caliber quarterback… Or number two, he becomes such a pain within the building that they’re like, ‘We just—we gotta get him out of here. I don’t care what it takes. Just get him out of here.’” The cruel irony? Cousins’ own candidness on ‘Quarterback‘—where Monson found him “fascinating”—laid bare the anxieties that now define his predicament.
We saw him play hurt, terrified the job would slip away. Heard his wife Julie’s raw emotion after the benching. We also witnessed the sting of feeling ‘misled’ when the Falcons drafted Penix just weeks after his big signing. That vulnerability, so compelling on screen, now underscores the harsh reality. His value is intrinsically tied to others’ desperation.
FILE PHOTO: Dec 8, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) celebrates running back Bijan Robinson’s (7) touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings during the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
So, Cousins reported to mandatory minicamp, stood front-and-center. He praised Penix. Talked about controlling what he can control, echoing the resilience of a player who clawed from a 4th-round pick to $180 million. But the play call is clear: Penix is QB1. Kirk is the most expensive insurance policy in the league, holding a clipboard worth $27.5 million.
His path back to starting isn’t about outdueling Penix in practice. It hinges on chaos elsewhere—a torn ACL in August camp, a shattered collarbone in Week 2 for a contender. Until that moment of pure, unadulterated NFL desperation strikes another franchise, Kirk Cousins’ view of the field will be from the sideline.
He’s not calling an audible; he’s waiting for the league to dial his number out of sheer, panicked necessity. The pocket has collapsed. The check-down isn’t open. The only move left is to brace for impact and hope someone else’s disaster becomes his salvation.
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