Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank made a firm statement about Kirk Cousins’ future with the organization, and made it very clear that a trade is, at least for now, not in the offing.
Blank said the Falcons are perfectly happy to let Cousins sit on the bench behind Michael Penix Jr. instead of trading him. In Blank’s mind, the Falcons are paying for the luxury of having a reliable backup quarterback in the event something happens to Penix.
“We’ve got $275 million in the salary cap, plus benefits,” Blank said, via Jarrett Bell of USA Today. “We owe it to the franchise to make sure that we have the backup quarterback who can step in and play. Obviously, if we thought that person was better than the starting quarterback, that person would play. But you want a backup quarterback who, maybe with some modification and game plan, can give you a chance to win.”
Blank added that he is not concerned that Cousins will cause problems while sitting on the bench. He also argued that there was no real need to trade the quarterback, as the team “already paid him.”
The Falcons owner is correct on that last point. If they were going to move Cousins, it would have made more sense to do so before the quarterback’s roster bonus kicked in. Not moving on from him before then was its own clear statement.
This may be strategic on Blank’s part to keep some trade leverage intact. The rumors certainly have not quieted down, and it is no secret that Cousins wants to be traded to a team where he might have a chance to start. If the Falcons continue to state they will not trade Cousins, other teams might feel compelled to make more competitive offers if they really want him.
Cousins is entering the second year of a four-year, $180 million contract he signed with Atlanta a year ago. The reality is that teams are not going to be eager to take on that deal, which leaves the Falcons in a spot where they might simply have to keep him whether they like it or not.
