Cousins is expected to open the season as the backup quarterback for the Falcons, and he's not worth drafting in the majority of leagues. However, should Cousins get traded prior to the season then he could have Fantasy value if he's back in a starting role. In Atlanta, Cousins will sit on the bench behind Michael Penix Jr. This is not what Cousins envisioned when he signed with the Falcons prior to 2024, but he struggled last year before being benched in Week 16 for the final three games. There's always the possibility of Penix getting benched, and then Cousins could return to potential Fantasy prominence. But if that happens then you can just add him off the waiver wire during the season.
Cousins will not suit up for Friday's preseason finale against the Cowboys, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Cousins will join starting quarterback Michael Penix on the sideline for a third consecutive preseason game, positioning Easton Stick for a final exhibition start, with free-agent pickup Ben DiNucci in line to close things out under center in the wake of Emory Jones (concussion) being waived/injured Monday. By all indications, Cousins will kick off the regular season as the No. 2 quarterback behind Penix in Atlanta, though the Falcons would likely pick up the phone for trade inquiries if a team in need of a capable veteran QB emerges at some stage.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Not playing Friday
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Cousins won't suit up for Friday's preseason game against the Titans, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
For a second consecutive exhibition, both Cousins and No. 1 quarterback Michael Penix won't be available to the Falcons, leaving Easton Stick to start under center and Emory Jones to sub in once Stick is done for the evening. Cousins is slated to serve as the backup to Penix in 2025, but if a QB-needy team pops up at some point in the coming weeks or months, Cousins could find himself on the move.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Won't play Friday night
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Cousins won't play in Friday's preseason game against Detroit, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Neither will starter Michael Penix, leaving Easton Stick and Emory Jones as Atlanta's quarterbacks. Cousins, meanwhile, presumably still wants to be traded to a team that will give him a chance to start, but he's practicing with the Falcons' backups in the meantime.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Will attend mandatory minicamp
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Cousins is slated to attend the Falcons' mandatory minicamp Tuesday and Wednesday. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.
Cousins attended Atlanta's voluntary workouts in April but not voluntary OTAs in late May and early June. The veteran quarterback has expressed his desire to be traded to a team where he could compete to start, rather than work as the backup to Michael Penix. The Browns, Steelers and Vikings had been named as potential suitors for Cousins this offseason, but Cleveland has since added rookie draft picks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, while Pittsburgh's long-awaited one-year deal with Aaron Rodgers finally has materialized. Cousins is now heading into his age-37 season, carrying a cumbersome contract and fresh off a 2024 campaign in which he visibly petered out down the stretch before being benched. Unless a path to a starting gig elsewhere and trade somehow comes to pass, for fantasy purposes Cousins looks like a mere late-round stash in formats that start multiple QBs.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Suitors may include Vikings?
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The Browns, Steelers and Vikings may be interested in acquiring Cousins, whose contract includes a no-trade clause, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.
The contract also has a guaranteed $27.5 million salary for 2025, plus a guaranteed $10 million roster bonus in 2026. Cousins somewhat unexpectedly showed up for the start of Atlanta's voluntary OTAs this week, but he still seems to be hoping for a trade that would put him in a starting role -- preferably without competition from an early draft pick at the position. Pittsburgh would seem to be the cleanest fit, if Aaron Rodgers doesn't end up signing there and the Steelers don't use an early pick on a QB later this week. Falcons GM Terry Fontenot responded to some of the rumors and reports Wednesday, saying it's "not accurate" that the team has asked potential trade partners to take on at least $20 million of Cousins' salary, per Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Not expected at OTAs
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Cousins isn't expected to show up for voluntary OTAs this spring, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
The Falcons kept Cousins on the roster in mid-March rather than releasing him to avoid having a $10 million guarantee kicking in. He may still be traded at some point this offseason, but there's a real chance he enters Week 1 as the backup in Atlanta behind 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix. The Falcons benched Cousins in favor of Penix for the final three games last season, with the rookie completing 58 of 100 passes for 737 yards (7.4 YPA), three TDs and three INTs, plus seven carries for 11 yards and another score. Penix played well enough to keep the starting job heading into 2025, but perhaps not well enough for the Falcons to be confident that he's a franchise QB in the making.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Won't be released ahead of deadline
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The Falcons have decided to keep Cousins on their roster ahead of Saturday's 4 pm ET deadline for his $10 million guarantee to kick in, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Cousins lost his starting job to Michael Penix late last season and has been the subject of trade speculation in recent months. However, the Falcons appear determined to keep him around as a backup and mentor to Penix for at least one more season. It's still possible that a trade partner will emerge to persuade Atlanta to part ways with the veteran quarterback, but Cousins has a no-trade clause in his contract and may waive it only if put in the position to be a starter elsewhere.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Dealt with late-season injuries
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Cousins said Tuesday that the right shoulder injury he sustained in Week 10 impacted the quality of his play down the stretch, and contributed to his benching in favor of rookie Michael Penix in Week 16, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.
Cousins' season looked remarkably different prior to Week 10, as he boasted a 17:7 TD:INT entering the road matchup against New Orleans, compared to a 1:9 TD:INT in his final five appearances. He was listed on the injury report immediately after the contest against the Saints, but was then limited for only one practice before being listed as healthy to conclude the campaign. Coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot also affirmed multiple times that the veteran QB's health wasn't a factor in the decision to bench him for Penix. Still, Cousins' focus to begin the offseason is related to getting healthy. "If we can do that," he said, "[I] feel like I've got a new life ahead of me in pro football." Fontenot has stated that Cousins will work as the backup to Penix during the 2025 season, but if the veteran's struggles were indeed mostly injury-related and he's able to quickly get right, it could make it easier for Atlanta to facilitate a trade.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Tabbed for backup role in 2025
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Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said Thursday that Cousins will head into the 2025 season as the No. 2 quarterback behind Michael Penix, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports. "Kirk is a great man and he's been great support for Mike, a great teammate, great support for everybody in the building, so we're very confident moving forward with him as the backup," Fontenot said.
Shortly after the Falcons benched Cousins in favor of Penix in Week 16, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the expectation in league circles was that Atlanta would cut Cousins before March 17, when the 36-year-old quarterback is due a $10 million roster bonus. Fontenot pushed back on that report during his press conference Thursday, noting that Atlanta signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal last March with the expectation that they would "get high-level quarterback play for two seasons." That didn't come to fruition, as Cousins completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 3,508 yards and 18 touchdowns while committing 18 turnovers (16 interceptions, two lost fumbles) in 14 starts before Atlanta turned the offense over to the rookie Penix. While Fontenot acknowledged that Cousins didn't perform as well as anticipated, the GM reiterated that the Falcons are comfortable with him as a backup heading into the upcoming season, though that won't preclude the organization from trading him if the right deal emerges. Atlanta would almost certainly have to absorb some of the $27.5 million on Cousins' base salary for 2025 to facilitate any trade.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Loses starting QB job
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Head coach Raheem Morris announced Tuesday that Cousins has been removed as the team's starting quarterback in favor of Michael Penix, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports. "After review we have made the decision Michael Penix will be the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback moving forward," Morris said in a statement. "This was a football decision and we are fully focused on preparing the team for Sunday's game against the New York Giants."
Cousins struggled over the Falcons' past five games, posting a 1:9 TD:INT while the team went 1-4. Though the squad snapped a four-game losing streak Monday against the Raiders, Cousins didn't do well, completing 11 of 17 passes for 112 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Morris was non-committal about the veteran quarterback continuing to start under center for the squad earlier Tuesday, and the Falcons later made the announcement that Penix will be taking over as the team's starting signal-caller. It's unclear what Cousins' future in Atlanta will look like beyond 2024 after he signed a four-year, $180 million contract in the offseason. Cousins is fully guaranteed $27.5 million in 2025, and he carries a cap hit of $40 million for next season.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Pedestrian numbers in win
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Cousins completed 11 of 17 passes for 112 yards with a touchdown and an interception and netted no gain on three rush attempts in the Falcons' 15-9 win over the Raiders on Monday night. He also committed a fumble but recovered.
Cousins' numbers were hardly of the redemptive variety after a four-game stretch that may have had his starting job in danger, but the veteran signal-caller at least snapped his four-game touchdown drought with a 30-yard first-quarter scoring strike to Drake London. Cousins ultimately wasn't tasked with doing much more against an inept Raiders offense helmed by Desmond Ridder, leading to his lowest passing yardage total of the campaign. Cousins may enjoy a similar game script in a Week 16 home matchup against the lowly Giants, who also should pose very little threat.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Team not considering QB change
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Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said Monday that Cousins remains Atlanta's starting quarterback heading into a road matchup against the Raiders on Dec. 16, Terrin Waack of the Falcons' official site reports.
Morris said Cousins "is the guy who is going to lead us" heading into a primetime matchup against Las Vegas next Monday, reaffirming the notion that Atlanta still isn't considering giving rookie first-round pick Michael Penix even a spot start. Still, the Falcons now have lost four consecutive games, during which Cousins has thrown eight interceptions without a single touchdown. If Atlanta's passing game were to notably struggle once again in Week 15, Morris' commitment to Cousins could waver.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: QBs to Sit
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I usually love revenge games, but it's hard to trust Cousins in his return to Minnesota in Week 14. Cousins hasn't thrown a touchdown since Week 9 and has six interceptions in his past three games against New Orleans, Denver, and the Chargers. If he continues to struggle, he could get benched in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr., and the Vikings have allowed just one quarterback to score more than 17.2 Fantasy points in their past five games. Cousins is only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: QBs to Sit
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Cousins has four games all season with more than 20 Fantasy points, and two of them came against Tampa Bay. He hasn't accounted for a touchdown in his past two games, and he has combined for 15.1 Fantasy points over that span against the Saints and Broncos. Now, the Chargers have struggled lately against Will Levis, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson, who each scored at least 23.1 Fantasy points in the past three games. But most of the quarterbacks who have done well against the Chargers this season have done so with their legs, and Cousins isn't going to help himself in that area. He's only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: TD drought hits two games
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Cousins completed 18 of 27 passes for 173 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 38-6 loss to the Broncos. He also rushed once for no gain.
Cousins struggled as the Falcons posted a poor performance across the board before waving the white flag by inserting backup quarterback Michael Penix down 38-6 in the fourth quarter. The bigger long-term concern for Cousins could be the status of wide receiver Darnell Mooney, who exited in the third quarter due to a hamstring injury, though Atlanta's Week 12 bye could provide an opportunity for the team's leader in receiving yards to recover prior to a Week 13 home game against the Chargers. Cousins will look to bounce back post-bye after being held without a touchdown pass in each of the past two games.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Only one quarterback this season has scored at least 20 Fantasy points against the Broncos this season, and that was Lamar Jackson in Week 9. Otherwise the Broncos have limited Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes to 19.8 Fantasy points or less, and I expect Cousins to be in a similar range on the road. Keep in mind that Cousins only has four games this season with more than 20 Fantasy points, and two of them were against Tampa Bay. Given the matchup, I would only start Cousins in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 11.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Listed with pair of injuries
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Cousins was a limited participant in practice Wednesday due to right shoulder and elbow injuries, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Cousins apparently came out of Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Saints with a pair of injuries to his throwing arm. His participation in practice to start the week, even in a limited capacity, suggests he'll likely play this Sunday at Denver in the final game before Atlanta's bye.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Tops 300 yards in Sunday's loss
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Cousins completed 23 of 38 passes for 306 yards with an interception in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Saints.
An uncharacteristically awful day for Younghoe Koo cost the Falcons a win, but Cousins also struggled to get the ball into the end zone, failing to throw a TD pass for the first time since Week 4 -- the last time he faced the Saints. The veteran QB's 306 passing yards were his second-highest total of the season, however, behind only his mammoth 509-yard effort in Week 5 against the Bucs. Cousins will look to rebound on the road in Week 11, but he'll be facing another stingy secondary in the Broncos.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: QBs to Start
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Two quarterbacks in the past four games against the Saints have scored at least 28.1 Fantasy points, and New Orleans just traded its best cornerback in Marshon Lattimore, to Washington on Tuesday. Cousins has scored at least 23.8 Fantasy points in each of his past two games, and he should stay hot this week on the road. He has top-five upside heading into Week 10.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Top DFS Play
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The Saints defense has really struggled lately, giving up at least 23 points to each of their last six opponents and 26 or more to everyone but the Panthers. Cousins has been awesome when he's been protected and I don't see the current Saints defense as a unit that can make him uncomfortable.
