The Atlanta Falcons‘ trade rumors continue to heat up. While tight end Kyle Pitts has been floated in trade speculation, the real rumors are swirling around quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Cousins already was a surprise attendee of the voluntary offseason workout program this week, although general manager Terry Fontenot said he wasn’t surprised.
So far, Cousins has been linked to the New Orleans Saints (because of the Derek Carr injury) and maybe some others, but nothing really concrete. However, on Wednesday, Dianna Russini reports that the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and even his old team the Minnesota Vikings could be interested in acquiring Cousins.
Russini said, “the [Cleveland] Browns, [Pittsburgh] Steelers and possibly [Minnesota] Vikings could be involved in a Cousins trade.”
Cousins was with the Vikings for six seasons before signing with the Falcons last year.
The Vikings aren’t likely
Well, it would be a nice a story if Cousins returned to the Vikings, but that doesn’t sound likely. The Vikings are definitely hoping that last year’s first-round pick J.J. McCarthy can take the reigns this season, but he’s coming off a torn meniscus that ended his rookie season. So, they are entering the year with a couple of question marks with him. Is he healthy? More importantly, can he even play?
Russini says that of the three teams, Minnesota is the biggest long shot.
“Minnesota is looked at as the least likely scenario, given its preference for J.J. McCarthy and that Cousins would need to sign off on any trade he is involved in. It’s believed that Cousins would be against any trade that involves sending him to a situation involving a young QB, similar to the situation he faced in Atlanta last year,” Russini stated.
Rodgers is the wild card
Aaron Rodgers is probably a big wrench in all of this. The former New York Jets quarterback is a free agent following his release and he’s been linked to the Steelers. However, as we all know, Rodgers does what Rodgers wants when Rodgers wants. He’s also been linked to the Vikings, and those rumors seem to be heating up too.
The Steelers need Rodgers to make a decision or they need to draft a quarterback or they need to make a trade for Cousins. The team currently has Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson on their roster. That is not a recipe for success and they know it. Regardless of what Rodgers decides, the team is dedicated to adding quarterback talent to the roster.
“I assure you,” general manager Omar Khan said Tuesday, “we’ll have four (quarterbacks on the roster) when we get to Latrobe (for the start of training camp).”
The Cleveland Browns aren’t reportedly in the mix for Aaron Rodgers, but they have their own major quarterback issues. It’s safe to say they can’t rely on Deshaun Watson because he’s either hurt, playing poorly or both. They signed Joe Flacco to provide a veteran presence and he had some success with the Browns two years ago, but it would be asking a lot for him to keep doing it at age 40. Yes, he’s 40.
After sifting through the smoke and rumors, it seems like the most likely landing spot for Cousins will be the Browns, Steelers or Saints. The good news for the Falcons is that there clearly is a market for him. He might not fetch anything earth shattering, but they won’t have to cut him and get nothing.
Comments
Russini: Browns, Steelers and Vikings Might Want Cousins