Atlanta Falcons

It appears very likely that the Kirk Cousins' era with the Atlanta Falcons will be a one-and-done affair after he was benched in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. late in the 2024 season.

"This is a situation that looks an awful lot like what Denver and Russell Wilson went through last offseason before Denver decided ultimately to move on from him, when it said it wouldn't necessarily do that," ESPN's Adam Schefter said during Wednesday's NFL Live (0:58 mark). "They released him, he wound up signing a one-year deal with a low salary in Pittsburgh, and that's how I think people across the league believe this situation will unfold with the Falcons releasing Cousins right around the start of the new league year."

Schefter did note that the Falcons have been "adamant that they're open to keeping him as the backup quarterback," though that feels unlikely given that teams don't pay backup quarterbacks over $40 million per year. A trade is also possible, though it would require Cousins' signing off on any deal since he has a no-trade clause, which is why Schefter believes a release is still the most likely outcome.

The Falcons went all-in on the quarterback position last offseason, signing Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract before surprisingly drafting Penix with the No. 8 overall pick.

It always seemed like a lot of resources to use on the position, and the decision to sign Cousins to such a massive deal looked like a major blunder after he threw nine interceptions and just one touchdown between a five-game stretch in November and December. The team went 1-4 in those contests and handed the reins over to Penix.

The rookie was solid in his three starts down the stretch, throwing for 737 passing yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions and one rushing score. The Falcons went 1-2 in those games and missed the playoffs, though one of the defeats was an overtime loss against the Washington Commanders.

Moving forward with Penix as the starter makes the most sense for the Falcons, leaving Cousins in something of a holding pattern. But much like the Broncos ate $85 million in dead cap by releasing Wilson last offseason, the Falcons likely will have to eat $65 million in dead cap to cut Cousins.

The Falcons are hardly the only team this offseason with difficult decisions to make regarding an aging and declining quarterback. The New York Jets and Aaron Rodgers find themselves at a similar crossroads. But while New York would be starting over at the position if they cut Rodgers, the Falcons have Penix ready to go.

That makes a divorce between Cousins and the Falcons feel inevitable.

Kirk Cousins had a rough debut season for the Atlanta Falcons and was eventually benched in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. for the final three games of the 2024 campaign.

But on Tuesday, Cousins revealed he was dealing with shoulder and elbow injuries he suffered in Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints.

"I, against the Saints, got hit pretty good in my right shoulder and elbow and from there kind of dealing with that was something I was working through and just never really could get it to where I wanted it," he said during an appearance on NFL Network's Good Morning Football (h/t Marc Raimondi of ESPN).

Cousins also said that while his Achilles was in a good spot after a torn right Achilles ended his 2023 season halfway through, he also dealt with some ankle issues throughout the 2024 campaign.

"Even if the right ankle wasn't perfect, nobody's perfect in this league," he said. "We're never feeling a 100 percent. So, it didn't really affect me too much."

Cousins' comments about his injuries are interesting on two fronts.

The first is that, during the season, both the Falcons and Cousins said that he was healthy. Tuesday's comments clearly contradict those prior remarks.

Second, it appeared that the 36-year-old Cousins was simply washed by the second half of last season. Between the Saints' matchup and a mid-December win over the Las Vegas Raiders, he threw nine interceptions to just one touchdown, and the Falcons went 1-4 in those contests.

That made the decision to switch to Penix fairly easy, and seemingly set the stage for Penix to be the starter going forward, especially after he was solid in his three starts (737 passing yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions, one rushing score, 1-2 record with an overtime loss against the Washington Commanders).

But if Cousins was dealing with injuries rather than simply regressing, the Falcons may have an interesting quarterback situation on their hands heading into 2025.

That doesn't come down to just performance. Atlanta would incur a massive $65 million dead cap charge if they released Cousins, making it an incredibly prohibitive option.

A better alternative would be trading him, leaving them on the hook for just $37.5 million in remaining proration, though Cousins has a no-trade clause and would have final say on any deal. That limit's Atlanta's leverage in trade negotiations and could mean eating some of his $27.5 million base salary in 2025 to facilitate a deal.

Either way, the decision to both sign Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract last offseason and also use a first-round pick to select Penix remains a head-scratcher. At this point, the Falcons probably need to just move forward with Penix, leaving Cousins as either a trade candidate or a very expensive backup.

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The Atlanta Falcons have hired New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich as their defensive coordinator, the team announced on Saturday.

Ulbrich finished the season with the Jets after taking over following the firing of former head coach Robert Saleh, leading the team to a 3-9 finish over its final 12 games.

The announcement comes after Atlanta had interviews with several other coaches, including Matt Eberflus, Steve Wilks, Grady Brown and Derrick Ansley in addition to others.

Former defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake and the Falcons parted ways on Jan. 11 after one season together, as Atlanta's defense allowed 345.2 yards and 24.9 points per game.

Ulbrich, a former ten-year NFL linebacker, began his defensive coordinator career with the Falcons in 2020 before spending four years with the Jets.

Prior to that, he worked as a linebackers coach from 2015-19 under former Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, alongside current head coach Raheem Morris, who is a close friend, per the Atlanta Falcons' Tori McElhaney. Morris promoted Ulbrich from working as the linebackers coach to defensive coordinator when he served as interim head coach in 2020.

"In this day and age, this current player's culture in the NFL, there's not a better candidate in my opinion," Ulbrich said of Morris, according to the Atlanta Falcons' Will McFadden. "You have to have the ability to relate to the current player. You have to have the ability to create an environment for the current player that is not necessarily built in the old NFL world, in my opinion, for these kids to thrive. They're just not raised the same way, football is not played the same way. He's one of those rare guys that has that ability to create the environment that's necessary."

When Ulbrich was promoted to interim head coach of the Jets during Week 6 of the 2024 season, he leaned on Morris for advice and support leading up to his first game as head coach.

Now, the two are reunited and prepared to turn around the Falcons, who finished 8-9 and second in the NFC South.

The Atlanta Falcons fired Jimmy Lake on Saturday, ending his tenure as the team's defensive coordinator after just one season.

The Falcons fired defensive line coach Jay Rodgers as well.

"After a thorough evaluation of the season, and with careful consideration for our team's future, we deemed these moves necessary," head coach Raheem Morris said. "These decisions are never easy from the human side of things and we wish Jimmy, Jay and their families the best."

The Falcons were among the NFL's biggest disappointments this season, as they went 8-9 and missed the playoffs for a seventh consecutive year.

It came as little surprise when the Falcons hired Lake since he and Morris have worked together multiple times over the years.

They were on the same staff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2007 when Morris was defensive backs coach and Lake was assistant defensive backs coach, and again from 2010 to 2011 when Morris was the Bucs' head coach and Lake was the DB coach.

Morris and Lake reunited in 2023 with the Los Angeles Rams, as Morris was the defensive coordinator and Lake was the assistant head coach under Sean McVay.

Before Morris hired Lake in Atlanta, he had never been an NFL defensive coordinator before, although he was DC at the University of Washington from 2016 to 2019 and then served as the Huskies' head coach for parts of the 2020 and 2021 seasons, posting a 7-6 record.

The University of Washington fired Lake in November 2021 amid a suspension for striking and pushing Huskies linebacker Ruperake Fuavai while trying to break up a scrum.

After ranking 11th in total defense and 18th in scoring defense under head coach Arthur Smith and DC Ryan Nielsen in 2023, the unit took a step back under Morris and Lake in 2024.

The Falcons ranked just 23rd in both total defense and scoring defense, plus they were 31st in the NFL in sacks with 31.

After signing quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency this past offseason, the Falcons were widely considered the team to beat in the NFC South, but Cousins fell flat and the defense offered little resistance.

The Falcons have already committed to 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. as the starting quarterback in 2025, and it appears as though the defense may be significantly overhauled as well.

Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot suggested Thursday that veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins could remain on the roster next season as the backup to Michael Penix Jr.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Fontenot said: "We are very comfortable moving forward with [Cousins] as backup. Kirk is a great man and he's been great support for Mike. We are very comfortable moving forward with him as the backup."

The Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million in guaranteed money this past offseason, but he was replaced by Penix in the starting lineup in Week 16 after struggling for much of the season.

Coming off suffering a torn Achilles with the Minnesota Vikings last season, the 36-year-old Cousins went 7-7 in 14 starts this season and completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and a league-high 16 interceptions.

Fontenot told reporters that he expected "high-level quarterback play" out of Cousins in 2024 after giving him two years of guaranteed money, but Cousins was ultimately unable to deliver.

Even after signing Cousins to a significant contract, the Falcons made the surprising decision to select Penix with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft out of Washington.

It was widely believed that the Falcons planned to let Penix sit and learn behind Cousins for the entire 2024 season, but head coach Raheem Morris made a change in the midst of Cousins' struggles.

In his three late-season starts, Penix went 1-2 and completed 58.0 percent of his passing attempts for 737 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions, plus he rushed for a score.

Despite being a trendy pick to win the NFC South and reach the playoffs, the Falcons went 8-9 and finished two games behind the division-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Last month, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that executives across the NFL expected the Falcons to release Cousins before his $10 million roster bonus is due March 17.

However, NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe reported this week that while the Falcons will listen to trade offers for Cousins, they don't want to outright release him, and they are open to having him as the backup next season.

Per Spotrac, releasing Cousins before June 1 would result in $65 million in dead cap for the Falcons, while trading him before June 1 would lessen the dead cap to $37.5 million.

A post-June 1 release would lessen the dead cap to $40 million in 2025 and $25 million in 2026, while a post-June 1 trade would mean $12.5 million in dead cap in 2025, $25 million in dead cap in 2026 and $27.5 million in cap savings in 2025.

It is somewhat difficult to envision another team wanting to trade for Cousins and his contract after his performance in 2024, so the Falcons' only choices may be to either cut or keep the veteran signal-caller.

While it is far from ideal to have such a highly compensated backup, it may be best for the Falcons to take their proverbial medicine and keep him rather than putting themselves in an even worse salary cap situation by releasing him.

Regardless of where Cousins ends up in 2025, though, all signs point toward the Falcons entering 2025 with Penix as their starter.

While many expect the Atlanta Falcons to part ways with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason, one expert suggested that the team is willing to forge ahead with him on the roster rather than losing him for nothing.

NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe reported on Monday: "From what I understand, the Falcons are not just going to release him. They will listen to teams in regards to trade offers, but they want to get something back from that deal, and they're willing to bring him back as a backup if it doesn't happen that way."

Cousins was replaced by 2024 No. 8 pick Michael Penix Jr. as the Falcons' starting quarterback for the final three weeks of the season. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Dec. 21 that Atlanta is expected to release Cousins before his $10 million roster bonus for the 2026 season becomes due on March 17.

It was less than a year ago that the Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract that included $100 million guaranteed. Unfortunately, the 2024 season played out in a way neither side had imagined, as Cousins threw for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and a career-high 16 interceptions before being benched. Atlanta finished the year with an 8-9 record and fell short of the playoffs for the seventh straight season.

Releasing Cousins would keep the Falcons on the hook for his $27.5 million salary in 2025, so it's understandable that they don't want to give him up without receiving something in return. However, the 36-year-old has a no-trade clause in his contract that limits Atlanta's ability to find a landing spot for him.

Wolfe noted that the Falcons are committed to Penix as their starting quarterback going forward, and his three-touchdown performance in the regular-season finale against the Carolina Panthers gave them more confidence in his chances to be successful.

If Cousins refuses to waive his no-trade clause, it sounds like he could spend the 2025 season as a mentor to Penix as the Falcons try to return to playoff contention.

For the seventh consecutive season, the Atlanta Falcons have missed the playoffs.

The Falcons had a chance to compete for a division title entering Sunday's action, but a 44-38 loss to the Carolina Panthers put an end to their postseason hopes.

Atlanta scored a game-tying touchdown with just under one minute left in the fourth quarter, although Carolina's offense marched down the field in overtime before Panthers running back Miles Sanders ended the contest with a one-yard score.

A win by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the New Orleans Saints prevented the Falcons from being able to potentially clinch a playoff berth, but it was still a disappointing performance with their season on the line.

Michael Penix Jr. showed promise in his third career start, finishing 21-of-38 for 312 yards and two touchdowns to go along with an interception. He also added a third score on the ground.

Atlanta's defense looked sluggish throughout the contest, allowing Carolina to record its first 40-point game since Week 9 of the 2018 season. The Panthers' offense racked up 425 total yards on Sunday, averaging 6.5 yards per play.

Fans called out the Falcons for their poor performance with a chance to compete for a postseason spot.

For the Panthers, Bryce Young ended his sophomore season on a high note. Young finished 25-of-34 for 251 yards, scoring five total touchdowns without committing a turnover. He also picked up 24 rush yards on five attempts.

After the Falcons finished with identical 7-10 records from 2021-23, they'll end their 2024 campaign at 8-9.

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris acknowledged calling a timeout might have been a preferable course of action to running the hurry-up offense late in Sunday's 30-24 overtime loss to the Washington Commanders.

"In hindsight, it could have been a good decision or a better decision to take that timeout, but I wanted to have the opportunity to move up there," he said, per ESPN's Marc Raimondi. "You always second-guess those things, you can always second-guess those motives. You can always go back and look at it and see if you can get it snapped a little bit quicker."

The Falcons got the ball with the game tied 24-24 and 40 seconds on the clock. Rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. hit wide receiver Darnell Mooney on the first play and got the ball to Atlanta's 44-yard line.

Morris didn't use one of his two remaining timeouts and watched his offense scramble to the line of scrimmage. By the time the next snap got off, the clock was sitting at 17 seconds.

The head coach later reflected he "thought we could get to the line of scrimmage and run our operation a little faster there."

Atlanta's possession ultimately ended with Riley Patterson missing a 56-yard field-goal attempt.

Morris' choice to let the game clock keep running was puzzling to many watching the action unfold.

His explanation after the game won't help his case.

Penix is a rookie, and Sunday was just his second start in the NFL. He has played in big games before, and the Falcons have undoubtedly practiced two-minute drills.

Still, it's asking a lot of a first-year signal-caller inside the final minute to get his offense organized and communicate the play call.

You'd think Morris would've also seen the heat the Chicago Bears got for their dreadful clock management in their losses to the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks. First Matt Eberflus and then Thomas Brown totally bungled late-game drives, with a rookie QB no less, by not using their timeouts correctly.

It might've been a little different if the Falcons had nothing to play for. Sunday's loss could've been a way to throw Penix into the deep end and get him familiar with situations when he needs to quickly lead the offense down the field without any timeouts.

But Atlanta remains in the thick of the playoff race and now trails the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by one game for first place in the NFC South. This wasn't a time for Morris to throw caution to the wind.

Especially if the Falcons miss the postseason, how he handled the final minute against Washington might be one or Morris' bigger regrets of the campaign.