N/S Dirty Birds Could Move On From Cousins Sooner Than Later (4 Viewers)

[Artifactual]

Most people were shocked when the Clowns drafted Michael Penix with the 8th pick in the 1st round of the 2024 NFL draft, especially Kirk Cousins. Almost everyone expected them to draft a defensive player which they desperately needed. They were in position to take the first one in the draft, but they didn't. Why did they skip that opportunity to grab the best defensive player or one of need that could have been a day one starter and instead draft a QB that most people expect to sit behind Cousins from 2 to 4 years in a league where you no longer sit 1st round QBs that long? Maybe they are gambling on it going either way to their advantage. If Penix is not ready to play for the first few years and Cousins remains healthy and at least on par with his recent play it wouldn't shock anyone to have Penix sit and bide his time. On the other hand, should Cousins get hurt the FailClowns QB room is in much better shape now than it was last year and Penix would be given his chance to show what he can do. All of which seems pretty obvious. Even so, most people graded Atlanta as having the worst draft in the league due to making the pick for a QB instead of anything else.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk in an article May 4th, 2024, on NBCSPORTS.COM discussed ATLs ties to Cousins and what their options are to move on from him. First, they have the slightest out regarding his right Achilles injury. His contract specifically excludes him having to pass a physical related to that preexisting injury provided that Cousins continues to rehabilitate it as required by and under the supervision and direction of the clubs head team physician and clubs head athletic trainer. If Cousins adheres to that ATL presumably is on the hook for the full $50M signing bonus. Also, Cousins has a no trade clause in his contract. Seems airtight, right?

There's a video embedded in the link below where Florio discusses it. You have to read the article below to see how that could all change as early as this year.

There's no out for Falcons over Kirk Cousins Achilles injury, with one exception

Cousins contract nevertheless makes possible a quick pivot to Penix.

www.nbcsports.com

 

[bclemms]

1. Penix is insurance for an old QB coming off a major injury.

2. Penix is the future.

3. The idea that Penix is 2-4 years away is about as dumb as it gets. He is as NFL ready coming out as any QB. He has more experience and works progressions and has he pocket better than any QB in the draft.

It was a great pick and one that makes me jealous.

 

[jboss]

1. Penix is insurance for an old QB coming off a major injury.

2. Penix is the future.

3. The idea that Penix is 2-4 years away is about as dumb as it gets. He is as NFL ready coming out as any QB. He has more experience and works progressions and has he pocket better than any QB in the draft.

It was a great pick and one that makes me jealous.

So they're just gonna eat Cousins' contract? If Sportrak is correct the first out in his contract in 2027.

 

[The Unrest Cure]

1. Penix is insurance for an old QB coming off a major injury.

2. Penix is the future.

3. The idea that Penix is 2-4 years away is about as dumb as it gets. He is as NFL ready coming out as any QB. He has more experience and works progressions and has he pocket better than any QB in the draft.

It was a great pick and one that makes me jealous.

None of these will be appreciated opinions around here, but Atlanta wisely used this draft to build for the future, while putting their best foot forward to be competitive this year. I think Terry Fontenot learned what NOT to do with an aging QB - wait to "rebuild" after he leaves - and struck boldly to get their QB of the future while their QB of the present was still on the team. All QBs drafted are a gamble, but Atlanta has minimized the future double gamble (how good a QB will be, and will they be available at your pick?) by getting Penix. Would that we did the same with Mahomes a few years back ...

 

[bclemms]

So they're just gonna eat Cousins' contract? If Sportrak is correct the first out in his contract in 2027.

They probably dont know and probably dont care. They double dipped on the most important position in the game. If you dont have a top 10 QB then you better find one or you are just playing to get to one. Thats the reality of the NFL with modern offense.

Top 10 is probably not even good enough.

 

[Domeination]

1. Penix is insurance for an old QB coming off a major injury.

2. Penix is the future.

3. The idea that Penix is 2-4 years away is about as dumb as it gets. He is as NFL ready coming out as any QB. He has more experience and works progressions and has he pocket better than any QB in the draft.

It was a great pick and one that makes me jealous.

The caveat to all of that is Penix is injury prone.

 

[TheDawgSaint]

No, no they aren't! They're stuck with their stupidity.

 

[jboss]

They probably dont know and probably dont care. They double dipped on the most important position in the game. If you dont have a top 10 QB then you better find one or you are just playing to get to one. Thats the reality of the NFL with modern offense.

Top 10 is probably not even good enough.

I think they f'ed up. Neither of those guys are gonna be the guy. It'll be very entertaining seeing how they fumble through all this.

 

[bclemms]

The caveat to all of that is Penix is injury prone.

His injuries early in his career taught him how to avoid taking hits and he is really good at it.

Very few players tear the same ACL twice. Hos combine numbers show he has clearly fully recovered. He missed less time than Daniels the last two seasons.

Injury concerns are vastly overstated. His age is more of a concern. He could very well look better and more polished because of the extra time in college.

You can’t teach his arm talent and anticipation. He just has it and will show out sooner than later.

People also sleeping on Kirk Cousins. He has been on fire the past couple years on a bad team. The Falcons made great moves and it hurts a lot.

 

[Artifactual]

So they're just gonna eat Cousins' contract? If Sportrak is correct the first out in his contract in 2027.

No, no they aren't! They're stuck with their stupidity.

I take it that neither one of you read the article in full. Consider, Cousins has a no trade clause but that doesn't mean he's not amicable or wouldn't be to accept a trade to a team who's QB gets hurt, and he can step in as QB1 on a better team, especially one that may see him as a longer-term solution than the turds do. He's getting paid no matter what, it's just a matter of who from. Cousins holds all the cards.

Actually, trading Cousins prior to the beginning of the 2024 season would be the least costly for the Clowns and they would also get something in return, a future draft pick(s) and/or a current player that could come in and start for them in 2024. To that end, it would be best for the Saints that no starting QB on a top tier team goes down prior to the start of the 2024 season giving Cousins and the Clowns a chance to make a deal with another team.


I didn't post an excerpt from the article in my OP because it seemed like an easy read to me. Anyway, here it goes.


Excerpt from the Florio article referenced in the OP:


Of course, that doesn’t force the Falcons and Cousins together indefinitely. With only $27.5 million in salary due to Cousins in 2025, it wouldn’t be hard to find a suitor for Cousins if both sides decide to make a clean break after one season. (Cousins has a no-trade clause.) While the dead-money charge for a pre-June 1 trade would be $37.5 million, the Falcons would avoid $37.5 million in additional guarantees to Cousins. Also, if they believe Penix is ready after only one year, the fact that they have their starting quarterback under a rookie deal makes it easier to absorb the Cousins cap charge.

That said, they still will have paid him $62.5 million for only one season, if he’s traded in 2025.

A trade after 2025 (and before June 1, 2026) would result in a smaller cap charge of $25 million. Under that scenario, the Falcons will have paid Cousins $90 million for two years.

It all comes down to when they decide to flip to Penix. They’ve tried to defuse the situation by suggesting Penix could sit for four or five years, which is ridiculous on its face. The truth is that a pivot to Penix could happen within a year or two without major contractual complications for the Falcons.

There’s also a slim chance that the Falcons could trade Cousins before the start of the 2024 season. If Penix lights it up in OTAs, if another team loses a starting quarterback before the regular season starts, and if that team and Cousins decide to get together, a trade after June 1, 2024 would have the same cap effect as a trade before June 1, 2025. And with $12.5 million of the Cousins signing bonus due in September 2024 and another $12.5 million due in December 2024, the new team could agree to pay the money.

Full Article (Again):

There's no out for Falcons over Kirk Cousins Achilles injury, with one exception

Cousins contract nevertheless makes possible a quick pivot to Penix.

www.nbcsports.com

 

[DeuceMcAllisterFan]

In two years, he'll be 38. And if they're trying to trade him at that point, he must be falling off the cliff.

 

[St. Widge]

They probably dont know and probably dont care. They double dipped on the most important position in the game. If you dont have a top 10 QB then you better find one or you are just playing to get to one. Thats the reality of the NFL with modern offense.

Top 10 is probably not even good enough.

Yeah, don't know and don't care what you are going to do about a $100 million contract is exactly how you run an NFL franchise. Great move indeed.

 

[jboss]

I take it that neither one of you read the article in full. Consider, Cousins has a no trade clause but that doesn't mean he's not amicable or wouldn't be to accept a trade to a team who's QB gets hurt, and he can step in as QB1 on a better team, especially one that may see him as a longer-term solution than the turds do. He's getting paid no matter what, it just a matter of who from. Cousins holds all the cards.

Actually, trading Cousins prior to the beginning of the 2024 season would be the least costly for the Clowns and they would also get something in return, a future draft pick(s) and/or a current player that could come in and start for them in 2024. To that end, it would be best for the Saints that no starting QB on a top tier team goes down prior to the start of the 2024 season giving Cousins and the Clowns a chance to make a deal with another team.


I didn't post an excerpt from the article in my OP because it seemed like an easy read to me. Anyway, here it goes.


Excerpt from the Florio article referenced in the OP:


Of course, that doesn’t force the Falcons and Cousins together indefinitely. With only $27.5 million in salary due to Cousins in 2025, it wouldn’t be hard to find a suitor for Cousins if both sides decide to make a clean break after one season. (Cousins has a no-trade clause.) While the dead-money charge for a pre-June 1 trade would be $37.5 million, the Falcons would avoid $37.5 million in additional guarantees to Cousins. Also, if they believe Penix is ready after only one year, the fact that they have their starting quarterback under a rookie deal makes it easier to absorb the Cousins cap charge.

That said, they still will have paid him $62.5 million for only one season, if he’s traded in 2025.

A trade after 2025 (and before June 1, 2026) would result in a smaller cap charge of $25 million. Under that scenario, the Falcons will have paid Cousins $90 million for two years.

It all comes down to when they decide to flip to Penix. They’ve tried to defuse the situation by suggesting Penix could sit for four or five years, which is ridiculous on its face. The truth is that a pivot to Penix could happen within a year or two without major contractual complications for the Falcons.

There’s also a slim chance that the Falcons could trade Cousins before the start of the 2024 season. If Penix lights it up in OTAs, if another team loses a starting quarterback before the regular season starts, and if that team and Cousins decide to get together, a trade after June 1, 2024 would have the same cap effect as a trade before June 1, 2025. And with $12.5 million of the Cousins signing bonus due in September 2024 and another $12.5 million due in December 2024, the new team could agree to pay the money.

Full Article (Again):

There's no out for Falcons over Kirk Cousins Achilles injury, with one exception

Cousins contract nevertheless makes possible a quick pivot to Penix.

www.nbcsports.com

There's a lot of what-if's in these scenarios. The biggest one is would a team want to trade for him, especially with a contract they didn't negotiate. Or Kirk could straight up put the kibosh on any trade and say, "you pay me, you play me".

The Falcons put themselves in a pickle here and there's no clear path forward and I am here, for, it. The funniest possible outcome is that they just end up eating Kirk's contract, move on with Penix, and Penix ends up being a total bust.

 

[jboss]

Yeah, don't know and don't care what you are going to do about a $100 million contract is exactly how you run an NFL franchise. Great move indeed.

They screwed the pooch here and everyone knows it. There's way more ways that this ends in failure than it ends in success.

 

[St. Widge]

There's a lot of what-if's in these scenarios. The biggest one is would a team want to trade for him, especially with a contract they didn't negotiate. Or Kirk could straight up put the kibosh on any trade and say, "you pay me, you play me".

The Falcons put themselves in a pickle here and there's no clear path forward and I am here, for, it. The funniest possible outcome is that they just end up eating Kirk's contract, move on with Penix, and Penix ends up being a total bust.

Exactly. Penix may turn out to be a good QB, but it was dumb to put up all that money for Counsins if this was really the plan all along. IAnd, if you are going to commit to Cousins, you need to use early picks and money to build a team around him for a run in the next two years. It's not like if the Saints took Mahommes when they had Brees. The Falcons intentionally paid Cousins as a free agent, committed to a 2 year run and then reach for a QB at #8. If your plan is Penix then you don't do the Cousins deal because if you are going to take him at #8 you know you are going to get him.

It may work out for them if Penix turns into a great QB, but if he isn't they wasted two years and the Cousins contract.

Personally, I think Penix is highly overrated by some. I think his ceiling is Derek Carr and his floor is probably in the range of Teddy Bridgewater. That, to me is not worth the #8 pick and wasting at least $50 million in cap space and two years.