This presents a problem as well as questions, though, seeing as Cousins will be the highest-paid player on the Falcons’ roster in 2025. A tough pill to swallow because if things go well with Penix, Cousins won’t see the field. According to OverTheCap, Cousins’ cap number in 2025 is $40 million. He is set to make $27.5 million in guaranteed salary this year.
Breaking down the options the Falcons have, they could always cut, or keep him, as they can with any player they so choose. They could also try to work out a trade scenario. The issue is that there are pitfalls with any option.
If the Falcons decide to keep Cousins on the roster, he is owed a $10 million roster bonus at the start of the league year in March. He will take up 14.4% of the Falcons’ cap space in 2025, a large chunk for any player but a significant one for a backup.
If the Falcons were to cut Cousins prior to June 1, they’d take on $65 million in dead money. That hit would drop to $40 million if he were cut after June 1. According to Fontenot, this is not the path the Falcons will be taking.
When the news of the Falcons’ switch up at quarterback first broke in December, national reports came out that the Falcons would plan to cut Cousins prior to that $10 million roster bonus hitting the books. Asked about these reports, Fontenot said there was no validity to them, and the Falcons are planning to move forward with Cousins on the roster.
However, they could pursue the option of a trade. It’s this option in which the waters are murky. Built into Cousins’ contract is a no-trade clause. That clause can only be waived by Cousins and his team, not by the Falcons. When asked whether or not the Falcons would be open to receiving calls about Cousins from other quarterback-needy teams, Fontenot affirmed, but with notable stipulations based on the limitations of the contract.
“We will take those things as they come,” Fontenot explained. “That’s a specific (scenario). Everyone would have to be good with it — his camp, his supporters, (Cousins’ agent) Mike McCartney, Kirk Cousins, us, the other team. There’s a lot of layers to that, and we will take those as they come.”
For Fontenot and the Falcons, they are faced with the ramifications of the Cousins’ deal, which along with its impact on the salary cap was also cited in a tampering violation in which the Falcons lost their 2025 fifth-round pick. It is not an ideal situation,…
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