Atlanta Falcons draft trade - James Pearce Jr.
The Falcons trade for James Pearce Jr. is one of the worst moves of first round | NFL Draft Live
Yahoo Sports' 'Draft Live' crew reacts to the Atlanta Falcons selection of Tennessee EDGE James Pearce Jr. in the first round.
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New York Post
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Kirk Cousins sounds resigned to his sad Falcons fate
Kirk Cousins might have already accepted his football fate. Cousins was at the Falcons' mandatory minicamp on Tuesday and seemed to know that his days as a starting quarterback in the NFL might be over. 'Obviously, you'd love to play,' Cousins told reporters. 'But I'm not gonna dwell on things that aren't reality.' Advertisement Cousins, 36, is coming off one of his worst seasons in the league in his 13-year career. He started in 14 games for the Falcons, throwing 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions with a QBR of 50.4 Advertisement His season came to an end after being benched for rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in week 16, as the Falcons missed out on the playoffs. It's expected that Cousins will become Penix's backup this year, as Atlanta might be left with the 36-year-old quarterback at the start of the 2025 season. Many thought the Falcons would wait until the June 1 deadline to cut the $180 million quarterback, but that deadline has come and gone, and Cousins is still in Atlanta. 3 Kirk Cousins at Falcons minicamp. AP Advertisement That leaves the only option for both parties — a trade. Nevertheless, even that seems less likely with each passing day. 3 Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. together at Falcons minicamp. AP The Steelers were the last team that desperately needed a quarterback but now have their guy in Aaron Rodgers. Advertisement Cousins said he's not looking at the past and hopes the Falcons have success this year. 3 Kirk Cousins in action at Falcons minicamp. AP 'Certainly there were conversations in January, February, March, even April, but we're moving forward now,' Cousins added. 'Those are things we talked about months ago. Now we need to move forward. Right now, it's about the situation I'm in and being the best I can be and hopefully, in February, we as an organization are holding up the Lombardi Trophy.'
Washington Post
8 hours ago
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Back with Falcons, Kirk Cousins talks ‘reality' of being second-string QB
Speaking for the first time since a 2024 season that saw him lose his job as the Atlanta Falcons' starting quarterback, Kirk Cousins said he accepted the 'reality' of his current backup role while acknowledging he would 'love' to start for an NFL team. Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons in free agency last year, but Atlanta made a surprise move in the draft by using the eighth overall pick to select highly touted quarterback prospect Michael Penix Jr. Coming off a torn Achilles' tendon, Cousins made 14 starts for the Falcons, but a stretch of poor play resulted in the promotion of Penix, who was named the starter 'moving forward' by Coach Raheem Morris.
Fox News
9 hours ago
- Fox News
Falcons' Kirk Cousins discusses future with team despite requesting offseason trade
Kirk Cousins is at Atlanta Falcons mandatory minicamp this week despite asking for a trade earlier this offseason. Cousins, who is in the second year of his four-year, $180 million contract he signed with Atlanta this past offseason, lost his starting quarterback position to rookie Michael Penix Jr. with three weeks left in 2024. Head coach Raheem Morris's move to go with his rookie brought about a large question this offseason: Where do the Falcons go at quarterback in 2025? Cousins addressed his future with the team just weeks away from training camp, and after no trade went down, he's looking forward to another likely year in Atlanta. "We're moving forward, and it's about how we as a team and as a quarterback room can be the best we can be in 2025," Cousins told reporters, per CBS Sports. The Falcons can still trade Cousins, but his words prove that he's ready to compete with Penix for the starting role once more. But what was considered a mentor-mentee relationship between the two in training camp last season will be much different this time around. It was clear that Morris and the coaching staff didn't trust Cousins toward the end of the season, but Penix also didn't wow anyone to the point where he should be considered the Falcons' starter going into camp. He had a 58.1% completion rate in his three starts while throwing three touchdowns and three interceptions over those games. And three games is a cup of coffee compared to what Cousins has been able to do in the league over the last 13 years. Cousins was coming off a torn Achilles he suffered with the Minnesota Vikings in his 2023 campaign. It put a damper on what he was able to do with the franchise from 2020-22, throwing for over 4,200 yards in each of those three seasons, and he earned two Pro Bowl nods in 2021 and 2022. But he led the NFL in interceptions in 2024 (16) while only throwing for 18 touchdowns over 14 starts. The Falcons went 7-7 during that time, while Cousins threw for 3,508 yards. If Penix is the way Atlanta is thinking in terms of a starting quarterback, then paying his backup $27.5 million would be less than ideal. That said, the Falcons would likely be proactive in moving Cousins to not have that cap hit on the books. That's easier said than done, but perhaps a season-ending injury for another team during the year could prompt a quick trade. For now, though, Cousins is focused on helping the Falcons, no matter what role that will be. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
