The biggest fish in the free agency pond in 2024 looks to be a familiar face: Quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins has already parlayed an NFL free agency quest into a big payday before. After getting franchise tagged twice by the Washington Commanders in 2016 and 2017, the tag became unpalatable for Washington to place it on Cousins for a third time. He hit free agency and inked a three-year $84 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings. He extended with Minnesota for two years and $66 million, but that extension expires when the new NFL year officially begins. A new extension doesn't seem like it is coming either. Cousins could be on the move again. A team like the Atlanta Falcons would make a lot of sense for him if he does wind up leaving Minnesota.
Atlanta Falcons
There isn't a team in the NFL that needs a quarterback and has the means to get one more than the Falcons. Thanks to the jump in the salary cap, the Falcons now have $41 million in cap space and have the potential to free up more if they so desire. That should be more than enough to sign Cousins to a number he and the Falcons can agree upon.
There should be mutual interest in making a deal happen too. The Falcons' quarterback play in 2023 was beyond abysmal. 49 quarterbacks played at least 120 snaps under center last season. Desmond Ridder, Atlanta's starting quarterback for much of the 2023 campaign, ranked 31st at the position in terms of EPA plus CPOE composite score.
Taylor Heinicke, Ridder's backup and a spot starter for the Falcons last season, finished 34th among quarterbacks in that stat. Atlanta was 22nd in passing yards per game and 27th in QB rating.
That was a real shame because Atlanta's roster elsewhere is fairly robust. They have a solid offensive line and have invested heavily in skill positions on offense. Their last three first-round picks have all gone toward playmakers on offense (Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts). Their defense finished 12th in the NFL in EPA allowed per play. The New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, and Las Vegas Raiders were the only non-playoff teams to fare better in that metric than the Falcons.
Atlanta has the goods to make a jump pretty quickly if they can just address the quarterback position. Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels likely will not be available when the Falcons pick 8th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. The best quarterback available to them is likely Kirk Cousins, who also just happens to have many of the traits the Falcons are looking for at that spot.
Kirk Cousins signing with the Falcons makes a lot of sense. Watch out for them potentially turning this hypothetical pairing into a reality.
Minnesota Vikings
If Cousins doesn't opt to move to Atlanta, he still has a good situation in Minnesota. He's done nothing but put up numbers in his time there. Outside of the 2023 season where he got injured, Cousins has put up at least 4,200 yards and 29 touchdowns in four of his five seasons in Minnesota.
He has perhaps the best receiver in the NFL at his disposal in Justin Jefferson and a staunch supporting cast around him in Jordan Addison, TJ Hockenson, and Ty Chandler.
Minnesota may have different priorities than the Falcons, however. The Vikings finished third in the NFC North behind the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, who both not only made the playoffs but won at least one playoff game. The Chicago Bears, another team in the Vikings' division, are poised to draft their quarterback of the future in Caleb Williams.
Minnesota may decide it is worth going in a different direction. Cousins is about to turn 36. They seem a ways away from competing for a Super Bowl in what suddenly looks to be a very crowded division. But they don't have a viable alternative yet at quarterback. That alone makes it worthwhile for the Vikings to want to bring Cousins back.
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