Falcons expected to sign QB Kirk Cousins

The team has their next starting quarterback, and they’re hoping the veteran can help them return to relevance.

The central question of this Atlanta Falcons offseason concerned the quarterback position, and how the Falcons would go from two years of mediocrity or worse to better days. The NFL Draft may bring a long-term option, but it appears Atlanta’s answer to the “who is going to play quarterback for us in 2024?” question is Kirk Cousins.

We’ll have to wait for Wednesday for it to be official, but the Falcons moved quickly to sign the best quarterback available in free agency, signaling that they fully intend to take an improved roster to the playoffs in the short term. With Cousins, Atlanta hopes to get an older but still effective passer who fits the mold of accurate, sharp quarterback that both Raheem Morris and Zac Robinson have seen success with.

The terms of the deal weren’t immediately available, but suffice to say it will not be cheap. Cousins has been one of the NFL’s most well-paid passers for a some time now and will want to get perhaps his last big contract from Atlanta, and the Falcons are willing to oblige with their cap space and urgent desire to move past six straight losing seasons. If Atlanta wins—especially if they really win big—no one will ultimately bat an eye at the dollars. After two years of the Falcons boasting that they could build up a team that would elevate their quarterback options, they’re throwing in the towel on that approach and going big money, big results at the position, and I am not unhappy about that.

And that’s the bet, of course. Cousins is in some ways a bridge to the future, but he’s going to be expected to helm this offense for the next two-to-four years and play at a very high level. Robinson will want to take advantage of that window and harness Cousins’ proven ability to feed playmakers by setting up an offense designed to feed Kyle Pitts, Drake London, Bijan Robinson, and any playmakers the team adds this spring. The feeling in Atlanta clearly is that quarterback was the primary problem for the team last year—I think that’s difficult to quibble with—and that with a few tweaks and a quarterback like Cousins, the Falcons can take the NFC South.

When we talk about quarterbacks like Cousins, what we mean is essentially a throwing automaton. Robinson will love Cousins because he can get the ball out quickly, on schedule, and where it needs to go, and he can do it over and over again. As he’s aged, Cousins has gotten better at hanging in there a little longer to deliver those throws, and while he doesn’t have the league’s best arm, he can challenge defenses downfield. If you need a quarterback who will do exactly what you ask him to and can feed a cast of playmakers consistently, Cousins is your guy, and he is also the most proven, successful quarterback available this offseason. It’s not hard to see why the Falcons, with Robinson on board and a quality offensive line and some high-end weaponry to bring to bear, would think Cousins’ skill set will be a good fit. That’s especially true because Cousins has been excellent in a dome throughout his career, and the Falcons of course play in one.

There are, of course, downsides and question marks. Cousins has been durable and healthy throughout his career, but he’s a 35-year-old quarterback coming off an Achilles tear, and we’ll need to see him totally healthy before we breathe easy. While Cousins can make almost any throw you ask him to, he’s not potent on the move, has struggled against pressure at times in his career, and has a frustrating tendency to choose the checkdown option when another split second might bring a more fruitful play to the fore, and none of that is magically going to get better now. Cousins also has a reputation as a player who shrinks on a bigger stage, given Minnesota’s lack of playoff success with him at the helm, but it’s worth noting that his numbers don’t really support that; he still does make some of his worst plays late in games, though.

At his age, you have to worry about a little natural decline being on the way, and any drop in arm strength or processing speed will make Cousins less valuable. I’m much more concerned about health in the short-term—I expect a healthy Cousins to be really good in 2024—but beyond this year the confluence of possible decline, health, and a big contract will be something we’ll all be watching nervously.

The Falcons may—and would be wise—to snag a future option in the draft if they have one they like, because Cousins is more likely to be a two year solution than a five year one. But that’s a little ways out, and we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the Falcons went aggressive and swung for the best option on the market at their position of greatest need. While you may or may not be excited by Cousins, he’s an objective and considerable upgrade over what the Falcons had last year and one of the better options the team was likely to get a shot at this year. So long as he’s healthy, this ought to be much closer to the compelling offense we thought we might watch a year ago, and this team ought to be able to actually contend in the way Morris, Fontenot, and Blank badly want them to.

The Falcons clearly believe this is the right avenue, and given the stakes for Terry Fontenot, Raheem Morris, and the franchise more broadly, that faith carries real weight even if the team’s recent decision-making at the position demands some skepticism. Cousins has been a good-to-very good quarterback for a long time now, and if the team continues to build up a capable roster around him, the Falcons ought to be a much tougher out in 2024 than they have been for years now. The hope is that this bet on a bright present pays off in a big way for the Falcons and Cousins alike, allowing both to achieve success that has eluded them in recent years. We’ll welcome Cousins as the new QB1 and hope that’s exactly what happens.