Why the Falcons will not bench QB Kirk Cousins
It is time for Falcons head coach Raheem Morris to bench Kirk Cousins, however he in all probability will not for a non-football cause.
The Cousins experiment is failing in Atlanta. The Falcons (6-7) misplaced their fourth consecutive recreation on Sunday, 42-21 to the Vikings (11-2).
Throughout Atlanta’s shedding streak, Cousins is 88-of-141 (62.4 %) for 1,068 yards, no touchdowns and eight interceptions. It has been outscored by 55 factors this season, 37 factors greater than by means of 13 video games final season when Desmond Ridder was its major beginning quarterback.
With the season slipping away, Week 15 in opposition to the lowly Raiders could be the right time to show to rookie Michael Penix Jr., who the Falcons unexpectedly chosen with the No. 8 general decide of the 2024 NFL Draft a month after signing Cousins in free company.
Atlanta shaped a contingency plan in case of a Cousins disaster. If you are going to set up a fireplace extinguisher, you possibly can’t be afraid to interrupt glass in case of emergency.
So, why not use Penix?
The Falcons have 180 million causes to maintain their religion in Cousins.
He is just one 12 months right into a four-year, $180 million contract he signed in the course of the offseason.
On Monday, ESPN’s Invoice Barnwell famous that Atlanta is “on the hook for a $27.5 million assured base wage subsequent season.”
“If the Falcons bench Cousins, there’s an actual probability they must eat cash to commerce him this offseason,” Barnwell added.
If NFL groups’ final 2024 recollections of Cousins are his present zero-touchdown, eight-interception, four-game streak, he should not command a lot curiosity on the commerce market.
And even when Atlanta finds a keen commerce associate, Barnwell writes that the Falcons “could have paid him $90 million for one 12 months of labor.”
Atlanta’s pockets wants Cousins to achieve success.
Per Spotrac, the Falcons would incur a $37.5 million lifeless cap hit in 2025 (or unfold between the 2025 and 2026 seasons) by buying and selling the four-time Professional Bowler.
Atlanta already tasks to have one of many league’s worst salary-cap conditions coming into the offseason, rating twenty eighth in estimated cap house ($7.6 million). (h/t Over The Cap)
The Falcons should enhance their protection in the course of the offseason by including an edge-rusher and cornerback, which will not come low-cost.
Based mostly on Cousins’ efficiency, it is changing into more and more tougher to justify Atlanta retaining him within the beginning lineup. If it have been as much as us, he’d be benched for Cousins. However we aren’t footing the invoice.
