Kirk Cousins is about to start his first season with the Atlanta Falcons. He has big plans for his new team. The controversy surrounding the NFL Draft has not changed that, even if the quarterback was probably even less enthusiastic behind closed doors than has been revealed.
The fact that the Falcons used their eighth pick to select Cousins’ potential successor in Michael Penix Jr. before Cousins had even thrown a ball for Atlanta was, unsurprisingly, a bummer for the veteran, especially since Cousins seemed to have known nothing about the plan.
And at least for the signing of Cousins, it was not entirely unimportant that he was not privy to the plans. Because, as ESPN now reports, the deal might not have come about otherwise.
According to the report, Cousins would have considered another alternative much more, namely staying with the Minnesota Vikings, even though he would only have received a one-year contract there and would possibly have been intended as a mentor for a rookie quarterback.
NFL: Cousins dreamed of ending his career as a Falcon
Cousins is now 35 years old, and if he were to play out his contract with the Falcons, he would be 39 years old. “I hope that I can retire as a Falcon, I would like that,” said the playmaker at his inaugural press conference.
And this plan has become much less likely with the signing of Penix. Although Cousins will normally have his place as a starter for the next two years, Atlanta could then start afresh without Cousins with $25 million in dead money (in 2027 it would only be $12.5 million).
But none of that matters (at least officially) to either the Falcons or Kirk Cousins. Their shared goals are too big. It would “not be helpful” to hold anything against the Falcons, because “we’re trying to win a Super Bowl together,” Cousins said professionally.
Source: www.sport.de
