Atlanta Falcons: GM Terry Fontenot is ‘comfortable’ moving forward with Kirk Cousins as their backup

In 2023, the Falcons finished 7-10 for the third consecutive season. General Manager Terry Fontenot fired head coach Arthur Smith and parted ways with QB Desmond Ridder. Former Rams and Falcons DC Raheem Morris was hired as head coach for the 2024 season. 

Atlanta made a move in free agency this offseason to get a new QB on the roster. Kirk Cousins received a four-year, $180 million deal from the Falcons. The veteran QB got $90 million guaranteed at signing. After 14 starts in 2024 and going 7-7, the Falcons benched Cousins for rookie QB Michael Penix. On Thursday, GM Terry Fontenot said the team is “comfortable” moving forward with Kirk Cousins as their backup. However, he’ll have to restructure his contract. No backup QB in the NFL is worth anything close to what Cousins would be making in 2025.

How will the Falcons handle Kirk Cousins’ contract?

At this point of the offseason, it does the Falcons zero good to admit error and state that they plan to move on from Kirk Cousins, but to be clear: they will not have a back-up QB make $37.5M in cash next season. https://t.co/D4taGw0BdT

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 9, 2025

Last offseason, Kirk Cousins’ four-year, $180 million deal was a shocking move by Atlanta. The team needed an answer at QB and the team went with a veteran in Cousins. However, Falcons GM Terry Fontenot made sure to have a backup plan in case Cousins’ time went South. After his 14 start of the season, Kirk Cousins was benched for Atlanta. In Week 16, rookie Michael Penix Jr. made his first career start vs. the Giants.  Penix started the final three games of the 2024 season for the Falcons and he is going to be their starter in 2025.

That’s where the Falcons run into a financial issue. The team has no problem starting Michael Penix Jr. instead of Kirk Cousins. Penix gives the team a better chance to win long-term. However, the Falcons need to address Cousins’ contract this offseason. In 2025, Cousins has a fully guaranteed base salary of $27.5 million. He’s still on the books for another $37.5 million in guaranteed money. General manager Terry Fontenot has a tough situation to handle. The Falcons owe Cousins a lot of money to be a backup QB. We’ll see if the team can try and undo the mistake of signing Kirk Cousins to a long-term deal.