Ahead of this week's combine, Atlanta Falcons GM Terry Fontenot once again was asked about the future of quarterback Kirk Cousins. Fontenot doubled down on his previous comments that Cousins would be the team's backup for the 2025 season behind Michael Penix Jr. This stance appears to be a continued attempt to help add trade interest or to be the team's plan moving forward if there isn't a trade to be had.
There is also the fact that Kirk holds a no-trade clause making it plausible the quarterback wants to stay in Atlanta. Whatever the reasoning or future is for the veteran remains murky. The best-case scenario remains the Falcons finding a trade Cousins is willing to accept that will ease his cap hit and take away a distraction from Penix's first season as a starter.
Kirk Cousins could become a distraction if the Falcons keep the veteran in Atlanta
A wise move would be to bring in a veteran backup, fans and NFL pundits aren't going to be calling to see after one bad game. Penix is a young starter who is going to have rough days learning on the job. It is part of making the adjustment to the next level. Having Kirk Cousins watching over his shoulder could easily be seen as a distraction.
Cousins is an established starter who, if released would have a market in free agency. This offers some potential stability if injury strikes or Penix isn't who Atlanta believes him to be. However, the flip side of this is the distraction Cousins presents as you're attempting to turn the page to who you believe is your next franchise quarterback.
Whatever decision the Falcons make isn't likely to happen anytime soon with a trade of Cousins needing to happen after June 1st. With this in mind, we are far from hearing the last of this saga as the offseason truly begins.