Last year was a bizarre one for the Atlanta Falcons. Believing they were a quarterback away from winning the NFC South, the team signed Kirk Cousins, who had missed much of the previous season recovering from an Achilles tear. The deal was significant: $180 million over four years.
Then, a month and a half later, the Falcons used the No. 8 pick in the draft to select Michael Penix Jr., who had just reached the College Football Playoff championship game with the Washington Huskies. Of course, the notable issue with that selection is that Penix also plays quarterback, and the Falcons had plenty of other areas on the team they could shore up.
It was a perplexing move at the time. The Falcons just paid all this money to Cousins. Why would they choose another quarterback? Atlanta said it planned to have Cousins start and have Penix gain experience learning from the veteran. For a while, that planned work. But as the season wore on, things began to unravel for Cousins.
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Through four straight games, he didn’t record a single touchdown pass. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris named Penix the starter before the team’s Week 16 game, with the playoffs still very much a possibility. Penix won his first game, though the Falcons lost the final two of the season and fell short of the postseason.
Meanwhile, Cousins ended the year with a career-high in interceptions (16) and tied his career-high in fumbles (13). Heading into this season, the Falcons have committed to Penix as their starting quarterback.
As organized team practice activities (OTAs) got underway for the Falcons, Cousins has not appeared. This is typically a non-issue—Cousins has been in the league for a long time and doesn’t need the preparation that some of the younger players do. Still, in a league that’s always concerned about optics, his absence is noticeable.
Other NFL teams need quarterback help and could very well trade for Cousins. For now, he’s far and away the most expensive backup in the league. Some of his contract was paid via a $50 million signing bonus last season, and he’ll make $27.5 million this season.
The closest competition in terms of salary is Daniel Jones, who the Indianapolis Colts signed to a one-year contract this offseason. Jones will make $14 million, though he’s expected to compete for the starting job with Anthony Richardson.
To find a quarterback who we know is entering the season as a backup, let’s head to the Washington Commanders and Marcus Mariota. The longtime signal caller is the clear No. 2 behind Jayden Daniels. Mariota will make $8 million in salary this year—Cousins is earning nearly three-and-a-half times that much money. Even the top backups over the past couple of decades haven’t come close to Cousins’s earnings.
It’s a fascinating situation all around. As the offseason keeps going into the summer, we expect Cousins to show up for training camp and other activities closer to the start of the season. While it might hurt to sit on the bench, making $27.5 million in the process should help soften that blow.
Source: celebritynetworth.com
