Kirk Cousins thought he was set in Atlanta after signing that massive deal. But the NFL doesn’t do comfort—just ask any veteran QB who’s watched his team draft a “future replacement” while still in his prime. The moment the Falcons picked Michael Penix Jr. in the first round last year, the writing was on the wall. Now, the whispers around the league aren’t just about Cousins’ future in Atlanta—they’re about whether he even has one. And if that’s the case, where does he go next?
The Steelers and the Browns are the two QB-needy teams, and that’s where things get pretty interesting. See, on one side, the Steelers are in pursuit of Aaron Rodgers. On the other hand, the Browns are stuck in Limbo with Deshaun Watson’s injury. The catch is that they’ve signed Kenny Pickett, and they still have their sight on a rookie QB.
And let’s be real—Cousins is so not in the mood to be a backup in 2025. That means the Steelers could be an option for the 36-year-old guy. To make things even spicier, the Browns beatwriter, Mary Kay Cabot, recently reported that the Steelers will likely be interested in Cousins if Rodgers doesn’t sign with them.
The Steelers will “likely be interested” in Falcons’ quarterback Kirk Cousins if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t sign with them, per @marykaycabot. #Steelers #NFL
— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) March 31, 2025
“If they don’t land Aaron Rodgers, they’ll likely be interested in Cousins,” Cabot wrote. To make things interesting, there’s still no confirmation on the Steelers signing Rodgers. In fact, HC Mike Tomlin, said at the NFL owner’s meeting that they’re still planning to acquire a signal caller for the 2025 season. “I don’t know if we are identifying anything as Plan A, Plan B or Plan C,” Tomlin said. “We’re just simply looking at the field of available people, whether it’s free agency or the draft and making decisions and gathering information accordingly.”
Look, Cousins signed a four-year $180 million deal with the Falcons last season. But nope, things didn’t turn out well for the 36-year-old veteran as he wrapped up his regular season with 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. The result? Well, the Falcons went ahead with Penix Jr. and it seems like they’re confident to continue with him in the next season as well. That means Cousins’ future in 2025 is still up in the air.
However, Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer reported that Mike Tomlin and Pittsburgh could be interested in trading for Cousins. “With his $10 million guarantee for 2025 vested, Kirk Cousins is now looking at potentially slow-playing his next move,” Breer wrote. “If, say, Rodgers picks the Steelers this week, I’d expect that the Giants and Cleveland Browns would have at least some interest in making a move for the Atlanta Falcons’ very pricey backup. Ditto for the Steelers if they strike out.” Well, you just can’t put Rodgers out of the frame.
Because let’s be real—the Steelers could trade for Cousins, there’s no doubt. But their first choice seems to be Aaron Rodgers—even though the four-time MVP is ghosting them. At the end of the day, Steelers signing Cousins could only happen if Rodgers decides to consider retirement rather than playing in 2025.
Kirk Cousins: Playing the waiting game?
With Michael Penix Jr. expected to start for the Falcons in 2025, it’s safe to say that Cousins would want a new home. But nope, Atlanta is in no mood to trade him—at least for now. To top that off, the Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank declined the 36-year-old QB’s request to release him. But why? Well, they’re waiting for the right time to release him. Because let’s be real—if they trade or release him before June 1, they’d clear just $2.5 million in cap space.
Plus, they’d have to tackle a massive $37.5 million dead cap hit in 2025, with lingering charges of $25 million in 2026 and $12.5 million in 2027. Translation? It’s better to wait until June 1 and wait for a QB needy team to ask for a trade. The catch? Well, Cousins have a no-trade clause which gives him the power to block any trade. And that’s where things get pretty interesting.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recently shared an insight on Cousins’ next move. “Why would Cousins block a trade to a place where he can start? My understanding it would be chiefly to avoid the situation he found himself in last April when he was blindsided by Atlanta’s decision to take Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth pick…”
“Rather than taking anyone’s word for it, Cousins has already signaled to teams that he would likely want to wait to see what happens over draft weekend before accepting a trade. In a way, that should also work for the teams, allowing them to go through a full draft process.” Breer wrote. And you can’t blame him. The guy chose Atlanta over Minnesota, considering the Vikings were set to draft a QB. But Atlanta gave him a reality check after drafting Penix Jr. and the rest is history.
That means the QB is not going to play the same game in 2025. The guy’s looking to for a QB1 role. Where will he get this role? There’s still no clue. It could be Pittsburgh or Cleveland. But one thing’s for sure: the QB drama this offseason still has a lot of tales.
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