Kirk Cousins’ future hangs in the balance.
Whilst rumors have floated around about his future, surrounding potential trades, the front office have downplayed notions of Cousins’ impending departure, insisting – somewhat curiously – that they would be happy for him to stick around on the team.
The only thing we know for sure at this point is that 8th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Michael Penix Jr., will be the starter at QB going into 2025, having taken the 4 x Pro Bowler’s job with three games to go in the 2024 season.
Penix Jr. has a long road to go before he can be certified as a true franchise quarterback, but in his three starts he equipped himself well, demonstrating a strong arm and very impressive deep ball accuracy, including hitting Drake London at the exact same spot on two back-to-back plays.
And barring any disastrous injury or unforeseen circumstance, he will be the quarterback of the future for the Atlanta Falcons come September.
The Falcons Are Mulling Over Their Options For Their $180 Million QB
Perhaps the Falcons are being disingenuous in their assertion that they are happy to keep their $45 million/year quarterback on the bench, particularly given his uninspiring end to the season, throwing 1 touchdown and 9 picks in his final 5 starts.
Or could well be that they know they save very little this season by trading the 36 year old Cousins – less than $3 million, according to Spotrac.com – rather than keeping him on the roster in 2025. And if they are to get a team to eat more of the former Viking’s hefty salary, they may even have to give up draft picks in a Brock Osweiler – esque situation, in order to clear his money off of their books.
If they were to trade him, however, the question is: how much is he worth to another team. Prior to his Achilles injury in 2023, Cousins could have easily gone for an early 2nd, or even 1st round pick. Now, post injury and seemingly out of form, the outlook is a lot murkier.
On the one hand, he is a multiple time Pro Bowler who has had demonstrated an ability to maintain strong regular season success and put up flashy individual statistics; on the other, he is coming off a serious injury and his worst performance spell since he became a full time starter in 2015.
How Much Is Kirk Cousins Worth?
So, factoring all this in, Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report has put together a series of trade packages for Cousins, and has a clear conclusion on what the trade value should be for the Michigan State alum.
In each of the five trade packages proposed, for the Cleveland Browns – particularly after Deshaun Watson’s recent injury setback; Las Vegas Raiders; New York Giants; New York Jets; and Pittsburgh Steelers, all of them include a 4th round pick and a middling player of minor, but certainly not of no, value.
That is with one exception: Moton expects the Raiders could be the most aggressive, putting forward their #1 corner, Jack Jones, who despite not being a true blanket cover cornerback had his best year to date in 2024.
This feels roughly in the correct ball park, but at the end of the day, league-wide views on Cousins, given his extensive experience yet myriad of potential issues, will shape the compensation that the Falcons ultimately receive – if they do decide to trade him.
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Ex Viking Kirk Cousins Has Projected Trade Value Revealed