Atlanta Falcons proprietor Arthur Clean made a agency assertion about Kirk Cousins’ future with the group, and made it very clear {that a} commerce is, no less than for now, not within the offing.
Clean mentioned the Falcons are completely completely happy to let Cousins sit on the bench behind Michael Penix Jr. as a substitute of buying and selling him. In Clean’s thoughts, the Falcons are paying for the posh of getting a dependable backup quarterback within the occasion one thing occurs to Penix.
“We’ve obtained $275 million within the wage cap, plus advantages,” Clean mentioned, through Jarrett Bell of USA Right this moment. “We owe it to the franchise to guarantee that we’ve got the backup quarterback who can step in and play. Clearly, if we thought that individual was higher than the beginning quarterback, that individual would play. However you need a backup quarterback who, perhaps with some modification and sport plan, can provide you an opportunity to win.”
Clean added that he’s not involved that Cousins will trigger issues whereas sitting on the bench. He additionally argued that there was no actual must commerce the quarterback, because the crew “already paid him.”
The Falcons proprietor is right on that final level. In the event that they have been going to maneuver Cousins, it might have made extra sense to take action earlier than the quarterback’s roster bonus kicked in. Not shifting on from him earlier than then was its personal clear assertion.
This can be strategic on Clean’s half to maintain some commerce leverage intact. The rumors definitely haven’t quieted down, and it’s no secret that Cousins needs to be traded to a crew the place he may need an opportunity to start out. If the Falcons proceed to state they won’t commerce Cousins, different groups would possibly really feel compelled to make extra aggressive gives in the event that they actually need him.
Cousins is getting into the second yr of a four-year, $180 million contract he signed with Atlanta a yr in the past. The fact is that groups will not be going to be wanting to tackle that deal, which leaves the Falcons in a spot the place they could merely should preserve him whether or not they prefer it or not.
