Where will Kirk Cousins play in 2025?: 5 possible landing spots
ATLANTA (BVM) – The Atlanta Falcons have benched quarterback Kirk Cousins in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. less than a year after Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the franchise.
Cousins signed the deal while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon he suffered in Week 9 last season, and less than two months later, Atlanta drafted Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick. Despite Penix Jr.’s high draft position, Cousins entered the season as the starting signal caller and performed well through the team’s first nine games. He threw for 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions while earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week twice as the Falcons held the top spot in the NFC South.
However, the past five games have been a disaster for the 36-year-old quarterback. Cousins has thrown one touchdown and nine interceptions while posting a 1-4 record. With the Falcons falling out of the playoff picture, they opted to name Penix Jr. the starting quarterback going forward, which leaves Cousins looking for his next move.
Cousins’ no-trade clause and salary cap implications make a trade difficult. Still, he carries a $27.5 million salary into next season, likely less than what top free-agent quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Russell Wilson will receive on the open market. If Atlanta were to cut Cousins, he’d count for $65 million in dead cap, so it likely prefers to find a suitor to take on some of his future earnings.
There will be many teams searching for a new signal caller for the 2025 season, and Cousins should be inclined to waive his no-trade clause for the right situation. This year’s quarterback draft class is relatively weak, which should increase the pool of teams vying for Cousins’ services. While he may not have many years left in the NFL, there’s reason to believe he can still be valuable in a starting role. With that in mind, here are five franchises that could agree to a trade with Cousins and the Falcons.
