They will have to beat the Panthers on Sunday, and they’ll need the Saints, who are two-touchdown underdogs, to upset the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay.
It’s incredibly unlikely, meaning the Falcons season is likely over.
The offseason is sure to be entertaining, though. Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot will more than likely be back in Atlanta, so they’ll be making the decision on Kirk Cousins and his future.
The Falcons would love to trade the veteran with a post-June 1 designation because it brings with it the most beneficial financial scenario for the organization. However, Cousins would have to wave his no trade clause, which doesn’t make much sense for him to do.
It’s not in Cousins’ best interest to assist the Falcons, which he isn’t anticipated to do, according to a report from Adam Schefter. He also stated that the team is expected to cut Cousins this offseason, which is similar to the relationship between Russell Wilson and the Broncos last offseason.
“Had the situation in Atlanta been handled differently, in the eyes of executives across the league, the Falcons maybe would have had a chance to work with Cousins to facilitate a trade to another team. But considering the history that has unfolded in recent months, that is not expected to be the case.
However, there are other ideas circulating as well. According to Josh Kendall of The Athletic, it appears that the team has an unrealistic perception of where their quarterback position stands right now.
According to the Falcons beat reporter, “team officials have hinted that Cousins might be the Falcons’ backup for the entire upcoming season because Penix’s rookie salary ($5.2 million in 2025) gives the team flexibility to keep Cousins’ $40 million cap hit on the books.”
Then, there’s the notion the Cousins’ career is over. According to NFL insider James Palmer, the Falcons believe Kirk Cousins cannot physically play the quarterback position anymore, which has led to the staff believing he was unplayable and his career might be finished.
Palmer stated, “Anyone in Atlanta will tell you that he has just fallen off a cliff, which definitely happens to some older quarterbacks.”
They think he is no longer physically capable of playing the position. In the Falcons’ opinion, he simply could no longer play it physically.
That affected several aspects of his mental performance in the role as well. They came to the conclusion that he was unplayable as a result.
To the mix, add another possibility! Jeremy Fowler and Daniel Oyefusi’s article suggests that as the Browns experiment with the Falcons’ current backup, a reunion between Kevin Stefanski and Kirk Cousins may materialize.
According to a team source, the Browns will assess “any veteran with starter’s talent,” including Kirk Cousins, the backup for the Atlanta Falcons right now, should he become available as anticipated.
Of course, the Browns wouldn’t have to trade for Kirk Cousins. They could just wait for Cousins to force the Falcon’s hand and then sign him to a league-minimum deal like the Steelers did with Russell Wilson.
That’s the most likely scenario, while there’s almost no scenario where the Falcons end up trading the veteran, meaning they’ll end up paying $90 million for 14 games.
