The Athletic's Mike Sando released his highly-anticipated NFL Quarterback Tiers for the 2024 season. In this series, Sando asks 50 NFL executives and coaches to tier 30 veteran quarterbacks into five tiers, from a quarterback who can carry his team to a quarterback who either is unproven or simply won't finish the season as the starter. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins found himself in familiar territory, in the Tier 2 category for the second straight year, despite the season-ending Achilles injury in 2023 with the Minnesota Vikings. However, it wasn't his play that caught one voter's attention, but Atlanta's decision to draft Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall selection in the 2024 draft. To this voter, that was more than enough to question Cousins' future in Atlanta past this season.
“I think Cousins will not be the quarterback in Atlanta next year,” one voter said. “Unless Atlanta wins multiple games in the playoffs, the season is a failure for Kirk, unfortunately, based on the desire to see Michael Penix.”
The pressure that the decision to draft Penix has put on the organization has been palpable from the NFL media, but this looks to be the first time someone has put a definitive standing on what it will take for Cousins to be the quarterback in 2025. Now, the contract construction has the Falcons eating roughly $40 million if they cut Cousins next season post-June 1 or eating roughly $12.5 million for the next three years if they trade him, according to OverTheCap.com.
Tthe Falcons seem to be using 2024 to see if they do have a potential contender on their hands, outlined by the one-year deals given to both Justin Simmons and Matthew Judon. If so, they go all-in for a ring with Cousins in tow. If not, we could see the former Washington Husky sooner rather than later.
