As the Braves were blowing a six-run lead in the ninth, the inevitable news broke that Aaron Rodgers would be signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving the Atlanta Falcons with no trade destinations for Kirk Cousins.
This is to the surprise of no one; Rodgers was always planning on signing with Pittsburgh and just wanted to stretch this out as long as possible.
Kirk Cousins' final landing spot disappears with Aaron Rodgers signing
Where will Kirk Cousins land in 2025?
That is the question everyone has been asking, and there are no clear answers.
You figured that if Rodgers spurned Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith, Cousins would be the newest Steeler. But with that out of the cards, the Falcons are left with a $30M backup quarterback.
That is, unless an injury strikes a contending team. At which point, that team will see the backup as the best available option.
Nevertheless, we can only work with what is there. At this point, he will be Michael Penix Jr.'s backup in 2025.
The question is whether he will accept that role and give full effort. Being a backup is different and requires a certain personality.
There is reason to question if the veteran can excel in that position. He hasn't been a backup since he was with Robert Griffin III. The success he has had since could cloud his ability in that role.
We also don't know if he will show up to minicamp and training camp. If he doesn't, then the Falcons better hope that Easton Stick can duplicate what he did behind Justin Herbert.
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We could be headed to a no-show saga where Terry Fontenot keeps him on the roster waiting for a desperate team. He has dug in his heels thus far; no reason to think that won't continue.