Kirk Cousins Still Wants To Be Traded But In His Timing -- And For Good Reason

PALM BEACH – The venerable Breakers hotel is a majestic symbol of money and power in this enclave known for both, but for the next few days it's a little more than that in that it is NFL rumor central. And one of the rumors currently circulating is about Kirk Cousins.

As multiple NFL coaches, general managers and owners, arrived at the Breakers on Sunday afternoon for the league's annual spring meeting, it became clear that Cousins is a name on the lips of multiple league power brokers.

Oct 23, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium. (Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USATODAY Sports)

Cousins Name On Lips Of NFL People

That's because what he wants to do in the 2025 season is a big story.

And, yes, Cousins still wants to be traded. He's told the Falcons as much, going so far as telling owner Arthur Blank himself.

The thing is Cousins doesn't want to go anywhere now.

That would be poor timing for him. 

And why is that?

Well, multiple sources speaking to OutKick at the league meetings say Cousins has let it be known he'd prefer to wait until after the NFL draft and definitely after the first couple of days of the draft on April 25-26.

And why would that be the case?

Well, the 2024 NFL draft was an unpleasant experience for Cousins and he's apparently learned his lesson, sources said.

2024 Draft Haunts Cousins

Last year, you'll recall, Cousins was unpleasantly surprised when the Falcons drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the first round of the draft only weeks after signing him to a four-year, $180 million deal.

That effectively put the Falcons in a position to bench Cousins when he began to struggle during the season – a five-week decline in which he went from the league's touchdown leader to the league's interception leader.

Yes, Cousins claimed after the season he was hurt at the time, but that is beside the point.

The point is he doesn't want to go to a team via trade now and potentially find himself in the exact same situation if that new team picks a quarterback in the first or even the second round of the draft.

So Cousins prefers to wait until after the draft before moving on to a new team.

It should be noted that the Falcons have given no indication they're going to trade Cousins. They've actually insisted they'll do the opposite and keep him as their backup.

The Falcons even guaranteed a $10 million roster bonus for 2026 by keeping Cousins on the roster past March 17.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 09: Arthur Blank speaks on SiriusXM at Super Bowl LVIII on February 09, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

No One Believes Falcons Keeping Cousins

So, in both word and deed, the Falcons seem to be intent on keeping Cousins as the backup to Penix Jr.

But league people believe that will eventually change. No one OutKick spoke to Sunday afternoon was of the opinion that Cousins will remain with Falcons for the 2025 season.

If that is true, then the question becomes what team makes sense?

And there simply aren't many because trading for Cousins makes it so that his contract gets traded with him. And it's a rough contract to absorb, particularly since the Falcons may ask for help in relieving them from the $37.5 million in dead money a trade would leave on their books for 2025 alone.

So what team might value Cousins to the extent of possibly helping pay part of that dead cap hit?

Steelers Interested If Rodgers Balks?

Perhaps the Pittsburgh Steelers if Aaron Rodgers, currently weighing whether to accept that team's overtures to land him as their starter, decides to retire instead.

That would leave the Steelers sorely in need of a starting quarterback.

The Browns make some sense if they go through the draft without using their first (No. 2) or second (No. 33) without picking a quarterback. They still have Kenny Pickett on the roster but he'd likely slot in as the backup if the Browns make a play for Cousins.

One thing is clear about the Browns is they probably would not be willing to take on any significant amount of dead money to help the Falcons in that department.

And there's a small chance Cousins might be an option with the Vikings – yes, his former team – if they don't land a veteran QB in the next few weeks. The caveat here is this situation would not suit Cousins because the Vikings are focused on having J.J. McCarthy win their starting job. 

Regardless of team, if Cousins ends up anywhere other than Atlanta, his preference is to wait until after the first two days of the NFL draft.