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Greg Auman
NFC South Reporter
The start of free agency is still a week away, so everything is still speculation at this point. But as potential major headlines go, this would be a huge one: What would signing quarterback Kirk Cousins do for the Atlanta Falcons?
Cousins, generally regarded as the top quarterback available in this free-agent class, has spent the past six years with the Vikings but is potentially signing elsewhere. Before his 2023 season was cut short by an Achilles injury, Cousins had thrown for at least 4,000 yards in seven of the previous eight seasons.
He has been linked as a possible match for the Falcons, with Pro Football Talk going so far as to report “very credible indications that Kirk Cousins is planning a potential move of his family from Minnesota to Atlanta.” PFT also reported that Cousins had talked to Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts about getting jersey No. 8, to which Pitts wrote on Twitter: “This actually is funny … you guys come up with anything.”
Cousins, who will turn 36 in August, would be a massive investment for the Falcons, their largest in the post-Matt Ryan era. Cousins made $35 million last season, and a new deal might be closer to $40 million a year by many projections. The Falcons have about $41 million in cap space as it stands, so a Cousins contract would likely have them restructuring other deals for greater cap flexibility.
Such a move, however, would be the opposite of what the Falcons did last season, when they didn’t pursue a major free agent quarterback, didn’t get involved in trying to trade for Lamar Jackson or moving up in the draft for the top options there. They stood pat with unheralded quarterback Desmond Ridder, and a lackluster passing game was part of why they finished 7-10 for a third year in a row, leading to Arthur Smith’s firing and Raheem Morris arriving as the new head coach.
Getting Cousins would be a major boost to the Falcons’ hopes of ending a…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/what-would-signing-qb-kirk-cousins-do-for-falcons-playoff-chances
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Publish date : 2024-03-06 16:20:57
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