The Atlanta Falcons have two potential starters in their QB room.
They doubled down on their commitment to Michael Penix Jr., but keeping Kirk Cousins around gave them a prime insurance policy and trade chip.
Now, with Aaron Rodgers filling the last vacancy for starting quarterbacks, his trade value may have taken a huge hit.
According to a report by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the former Minnesota Vikings star was hopeful about a trade to Pittsburgh, and there might not be any other takers for his services:
“Kirk Cousins was hoping to get out of town, be a starter for a new team, and he looked at Pittsburgh as he could be a potential Plan B for them,” Fowler said. “Well, that is off the table, and it is a dry quarterback market for Cousins to try to get in a trade.”
Multiple teams were interested in making a run at Cousins, who was expected to be released earlier in the offseason.
Instead, the Falcons opted to absorb his steep salary and bring him back as Penix’s backup.
As a result, any team looking to acquire him would have to give up assets and also take on his big contract, which was a deal-breaker for most of his hypothetical suitors.
Cousins struggled in his first season in Georgia, completing just under 67% of his passes for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions before eventually being benched down the stretch.
Then again, it’s also worth noting that he was just coming off a major injury, and the Falcons’ offense wasn’t built around his strengths.
He’s not getting any younger at 36 years old, but he would still be an upgrade over several incumbent starters.
Even so, it might take an injury or a team getting off to a slow start for him to find a new home this season.
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