Falcons GM: Cousins to remain backup quarterback
Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot reiterated Tuesday that Kirk Cousins will remain the team's backup quarterback behind Michael Penix Jr., according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Cousins was benched for the final three games of the season in favor of Penix. The eighth overall pick led the Falcons to a 1-2 record, showcasing enough promise to stake his claim.
"Kirk handled that really well at the end of the season," Fontenot said. "Obviously Kirk is a really talented player. He's a great man."
Cousins posted a 7-7 record as the Falcons' starter. He passed for 3,508 yards and 18 touchdowns, and he led the NFL with 16 interceptions. He threw one touchdown compared to 11 picks in his final five starts before being benched in the wake of a win against the Raiders.
The 36-year-old is set to earn $27.5 million in base salary after signing a four-year, $180-million contract last offseason, according to Over the Cap. He holds a no-trade clause, meaning he would need to approve any move to another club. Cousins would receive a $10-million bonus if he remains on Atlanta's roster March 17.
The Falcons' investment in Cousins could lead to a hefty price tag if they cut him. Atlanta would have $65 million in dead money for 2025 if he's released prior to June 1, per Over the Cap. Conversely, releasing him after June 1 would result in $40 million in dead money for 2025.
Cousins revealed earlier in February that he sustained shoulder and elbow injuries during the team's loss to the New Orleans Saints in November. He was placed on the team's injury report the following week and removed from the list after one day but explained it as a "clerical error" at the time, according to ESPN's Marc Raimondi. The four-time Pro Bowler said his arm never got back to where he wanted it to be after that Nov. 10 game.
Fontenot said that he spoke with Cousins after his injury comments but would keep the details of that conversation private.
Head coach Raheem Morris maintains that benching Cousins for Penix in the Falcons' win over the Las Vegas Raiders was a performance-based decision.
"The reason we made the change when we made it was because we had some bad decisions going along that way. It was well-documented. The interceptions that we threw was well-documented, the amount of touchdowns that we had at that point," Morris said Tuesday.
"I've got so much confidence in Michael Penix leading us into the future, and I believe our whole building does," the coach added, per team reporter Terrin Waack.