Falcons heavily linked to Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins ahead of free agency
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is expected to hit the open market with his contract expiring and recent NFL rumors suggest several teams will be on the move for the four-time Pro Bowler. But according to Sam Monson and Steve Palazzolo of The 33rd Team, there are only two landing spots that really make sense […]
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is expected to hit the open market with his contract expiring and recent NFL rumors suggest several teams will be on the move for the four-time Pro Bowler.
But according to Sam Monson and Steve Palazzolo of The 33rd Team, there are only two landing spots that really make sense for the veteran quarterback.
That's either resigning with the Vikings or finding a new home with the Atlanta Falcons.
"Vikings and Falcons, they're the two teams to watch for. We know what Kirk Cousins likes out of the open market," Palazzolo said. "He likes going to teams that have good receivers like Minnesota had when he signed there. He likes going to a team that has a nice indoor environment. He might like going to the NFC South where you might only have to be 9-8 to win. I like the Falcons. They also have Zac Robinson there calling the players. He's coming from the Rams. There's a connection there. Cousins has that connection to Atlanta with his wife."
Atlanta checks all of the boxes for Cousins from their dome-covered football field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to their wide array of weapons in Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson.
It also helps that Cousins is already familiar with the Atlanta area considering his wife is from Alpharetta, Georgia and her parents still live there.
Does Cousins Make Sense for the Falcons?
It makes too much sense for 36-year-old Cousins, who is on his way out of the league, but does it make sense for the Falcons?
Cousins threw for 2,331 yards and had 18 touchdowns in 2023, though he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 8. Cousins will make a full recovery but it's worth noting that injury may benefit the Falcons when it comes to contract negations.
Looking back at last year, Cousins is already an immediate upgrade from Desmond Ridder who finished his first season as a starter throwing an underwhelming 14 touchdowns through 15 games.
Atlanta is in a very unique situation since they hold the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft that runs deep with quarterback talent because now they have to decide if they want to go the veteran route and win now, or take a gamble on a rookie quarterback.
However, as Palazzolo mentioned, if the Falcons end up going with a veteran QB then they could use their first-round pick on an additional weapon.
Cousins makes a lot of sense for the Falcons because he would come into an already stacked roster and Atlanta going with another rookie quarterback could be too risky since they can't afford to keep wasting the talents of the guys that they already have invested in.
But the only thing we know for sure right now is that the Falcons' top priority is finding a quarterback this offseason and they must get it right.
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