The future of the Minnesota Vikings at quarterback seems bright, but Kirk Cousins, their former starter, is experiencing the exact opposite this season. There is no guarantee that this will not be his final season with the Atlanta Falcons.
With 16 interceptions in 15 weeks, Cousins leads the league in this category.
The Falcons benched Cousins in favor of rookie first-round choice Michael Penix for this and other reasons.
The future of the Minnesota Vikings at quarterback seems bright, but Kirk Cousins, their former starter, is experiencing the exact opposite this season. There is no guarantee that this will not be his final season with the Atlanta Falcons.
With 16 interceptions in 15 weeks, Cousins leads the league in this category.
The Falcons benched Cousins in favor of rookie first-round choice Michael Penix for this and other reasons.
After the decision, according to Cousins, he called Penix and used a startling parallel to justify his actions.
Cousins remarked, “I just wanted to shoot one because I like to shoot elephants in the room.” Notably, Cousins led the league in completion % during his first full season as a starter, earning his first starting position in Washington after taking Robert Griffin III’s place.
Furthermore, Cousins’ time with the Vikings ended partly because they refused to fulfill his requests for a full contract and instead sought to choose his replacement. The Vikings maintained their stance after Cousins missed half of the 2023 season due to an Achilles tear. Given that Penix is a rookie, the adjustment is much more significant.
Four-time Pro Bowler Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract in the 2024 offseason, with $90 million fully guaranteed in free agency.
If the Falcons cut Cousins this season, it would result in the second-largest single dead cap charge in NFL history. He spoke with awareness of the areas in which he has yet to experience success.
Regarding head coach Raheem Morris’ justification for the choice, Cousins remarked, “It probably ended up being the turnovers, and that’s such a key thing in winning and losing in the NFL.” “I think that involves more decision-making than anything else. My physical limitations would not be related to that. I wouldn’t say, therefore, that [the bad play, the poor play, and specifically turnovers, is health related].”
GettyKirk Cousins #18 of the Atlanta Falcons leaves the field after losing to the Denver Broncos.
Cousins quipped that perhaps he needed less confidence than he had when trying to force throws. But the decision did not surprise him. He knew it was possible that the decision could be coming when Morris called him outside of their usual time slot.