Kirk Cousins, quarterback for the Falcons,
According to reports, the seasoned quarterback agreed to a four-year contract worth up to $180 million.
The move that has been the talk of the NFL community for the past two days is now official: The Falcons announced the signing of quarterback Kirk Cousins on Wednesday afternoon, the first day of the new season.
When the legal tampering window officially began on Monday afternoon, allowing upcoming free agents to speak with other teams, Diana Russini of The Athletic was among the first to report the news. The Cousins’ contract is a four-year, $180 million agreement with a $100 million guarantee, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
According to reports, Cousins will get $90 million in 2024–2025 and an additional $10 million in 2026.
After working in the professional ranks for 12 seasons, Cousins, 35, joins the Falcons. In the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Cousins was selected by the Washington Commanders, who were then the Redskins. He played for Washington for six seasons before concluding his career with the Minnesota Vikings for the last six.
As a starting quarterback, Cousins finished his career with an overall record of 76-67-2, a completion percentage of 66.9%, and more than 3,400 career completions. He was chosen for four Pro Bowls.
Cousins recently suffered a season-ending tear of his Achilles tendon during the Vikings’ Week 8 matchup with the Green Bay Packers in October 2023.
The signing of Cousins is a manifestation of the aggressiveness that Raheem Morris, the new head coach, and general manager Terry Fontenot promised to use in their pursuit of a starting quarterback in 2024. This aggressiveness was evident in one of the Falcons organization’s largest free agency signings, not only during the Fontenot era but over a large portion of the team’s recent past.
At this point, Taylor Heinicke and Desmond Ridder are in the quarterback room with Cousins. After being selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Ridder is still in the first year of his rookie contract, while Heinicke is in the second year of a $14 million two-year contract.
It’s important to keep in mind that, according to OverTheCap.com, the Falcons would save $7.06 million against the salary limit if they cut Heinicke before June 1st, although at a $2 million dead money impact. Based on OTC calculations, Ridder’s contract would only result in cap savings of $922,458 in 2024 and $1.4 million in 2025 under the same scenario. In the upcoming weeks and months, these two specific contracts—as well as others—will probably be further investigated, with the Falcons needing to free up additional budget space to cover the significant portion that Cousins’ deal now represents.
In 2024, the Falcons required stability, consistency, and dependability from their quarterback. As the new league season gets underway, Atlanta moves in that direction with Cousins on the roster.
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