Signing Kirk Cousins is one of the worst decisions in Atlanta Falcons' franchise history, and there's no way around it. Terry Fontenot signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract then turned around and drafted Michael Penix Jr. six weeks later, which made an already-puzzling contract age like old milk.
It took less than a season for the Falcons to turn to Penix (even though Kirko was playing football), yet Atlanta opted not to trade him when given the opportunity. All throughout last offseason and through the trade deadline, they never even considered trading him. They just absorbed the lofty cap hit. But when Ian Cunningham took over, he released Cousins, and he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.
However, the GM of the Raiders, John Spytek, is learning from Fontenot's mistakes on the Cousins front. They have 2026 No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza sitting behind him, and eventually they're going to want to hand the reins over to the reigning Heisman Trophy winner--and now they can.
The Raiders reportedly traded the 38-year-old to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick. If this was the price he could've went for and there was a demand for him, how come the Falcons never considered a trade like this? This is organizational malpractice to the highest degree.
Unlike the Atlanta Falcons, the Raiders actually took the opportunity to trade Kirk Cousins
Fontenot basically refused to admit the failure of what was far and away his worst decision as a general manager, and it's part of what got him fired in the long run. I'm not sure if it was an ego thing or gross incompetence or a little of both, but Spytek offered a crash course in how to run things.
The crazy part is this is a plenty mutually beneficial trade. The Raiders can now turn to Mendoza for the rest of the season and get him sizable amount of reps as they evaluate his fit with their young core, while the Vikings get a signal-caller who is still playing good football and knows their offense. And given they're 6-2, they now have quarterback play that won't waste the work of an elite defense.
While it's frustrating in itself that the four-time Pro Bowler had much more success in Las Vegas than Atlanta, you can blame Zac Robinson for that. Klint Kubiak has him turning back the clock, as the veteran is fifth among starters in passing yards and second in passing touchdowns with 20.
If this is is the same return the Dirty Birds could've gotten at some point, what's the excuse for not. Teams like the Browns, Colts, and Dolphins were interested before the 2025 season, yet Atlanta was supposedly unwilling to deal him. They instead chose to let him rot on the bench.. for some reason.
The Raiders were essentially in the same position the Dirty Birds were with Kirk Cousins, yet they handled it way better. They saw the opportunity to tack another premium draft pick and capitalized on the Vikings' desperation to do so, which is the way any rational GM reacts to the QB carousel.
Compared to Terry Fontenot, who showed time and again he lacks the self-awareness to be a quality NFL GM, Spytek was aware of the quarterback predicament he had, and used it to his advantage. All I can say now is thank god we have Ian Cunningham, who is running this team like a real adult.
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