Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins reportedly made the surprising move to attend the team’s first day of voluntary practices as he desperately waits for a trade away from the team.
Cousins was expected to stay away from the practice due to his standing with the team, with head coach Raheem Morris stating as much during the NFL’s annual meeting’s last month.
‘I’m not going to be foolish to think that he’s going to show up for voluntary work,’ Morris said. ‘Right now, we’re dealing with a businesslike mode. … We’re dealing with that type of feel. I don’t think he’ll be there.’
‘If he is, we’ll welcome him with open arms. But I’m not going to be foolish enough to make myself get worked up and angry about Kirk Cousins missing voluntary workouts.’
Cousins presence at the workout, per ESPN, comes a day after the Falcons signed Easton Stick to a contract, making the quarterback room even more crowded.
With three games left in last year’s regular season, the Falcons, at 7-7, switched to rookie quarterback Michael Penix as the starter.
Kirk Cousins made the surprising move to attend the team’s first day of voluntary practices
Cousins was expected to stay away from the practice due to his standing with the team
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Atlanta hoped to make a playoff run with the switch. However, losses to the Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers had the team finish 2024 with a losing record.
Despite not making the postseason, the Falcons appear to be ready to start Penix again in 2025, with Cousins still under contract for another three seasons.
Before last season, Cousins signed a four-year, $180million contract at age 35.
Although he was guaranteed $100million of that money, offloading Cousins would save the team $34million.
Stick had been with the Los Angeles Chargers for his entire NFL career since entering the league in 2019.
He was the longtime backup to Justin Herbert, with him looking for a new opportunity after making the postseason last year.
The Falcons would likely not hang on to all three on the active roster, with a practice-squad quarterback likely.
