Can the Falcons trade Kirk Cousins? Exploring $180,000,000 contract implications

On Monday night, Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons avoided a back-breaking defeat as they survived a game-winning Hail Mary attempt and beat the Las Vegas Raiders 15-9 to improve to 7-7. The victory saw them cut the gap to NFC South leaders Tampa Bay Buccaneers to one game and keep their hopes of winning the division and earning a playoff berth alive.

Despite escaping Sin City with a win, the Falcons coaching staff wasn't too pleased with the offense's performance. They were particularly dismayed about the quarterback's dismal outing. The veteran completed 11 of his 17 pass attempts for 112 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

During his media availability on Tuesday, head coach Raheem Morris suggested the team could consider fielding Michael Penix Jr. under center in their Week 16 game against the New York Giants at home. When asked if Cousins was still the starting quarterback, he responded:

"We just got back. We still have to go through that process. All those things will happen over the course of the week. We didn’t play well enough at the quarterback position."

The evaluation did not take long. About three and a half hours later, the Falcons released a statement that said Morris had decided that Penix would be the team's new starting quarterback.

Can Kirk Cousins be traded?

The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal in the offseason but that contract wasn't the only cost of acquiring the veteran quarterback.

The team violated the league's anti-tampering policy in their effort to land the former Minnesota Vikings star and were forced to forfeit their fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft and pay a $250,000 fine. General manager Terry Fontenot was also fined $50,000.

The Falcons would have considered the penalties worth it had Cousins played well. However, 14 games in, it seems the team is already moving on from the veteran.

Since this season's trade deadline ended in November, the Falcons can't trade Cousins now. They'll keep him on the roster until the end of the campaign and hope they can find a team willing to trade for the 36-year-old in the offseason.

But there is another big factor to consider, which is that Cousins has a no-trade clause in his contract. That means he will have to approve any potential trade from Atlanta.

The Falcons need to hope that teams looking to pick a quarterback in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, like the New York Giants and the Raiders, show interest in taking him off their books and making him their bridge quarterback. They would also need Cousins to sign off on any such move.

Explaining the impact of Kirk Cousins' $180,000,000 Falcons contract on potential trade

Irrespective of whether they trade or cut Kirk Cousins, it'll cost the Falcons a fortune.

If they release him before the start of the new league year in March, it'll cost them $65 million in dead cap in 2025. They can spread the cap hit over two years by giving Cousins a post-June 1st cut designation. The cap hit in that scenario will be $40 million in 2025 and $25 million in 2026.

The best-case scenario for the Falcons is finding a trade partner for the veteran quarterback. If they can deal him to a team, they would only be responsible for the $37.5 million prorated bonus. They can either take that cap hit in 2025 by trading him before June 1 or spread it over two years by dealing him after that deadline.

It remains to be seen how the Falcons handle Cousins' exit. However, it is seemingly likely that his stint as Atlanta's starting quarterback will last only 14 games.