FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons’ plan to trade quarterback Kirk Cousins and his hefty contract is not going anywhere, according to a recent report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Cousins’ four-year contract worth up to $180 million has been deemed “untradeable.” To get things moving, the Falcons reportedly are asking teams to pay $20 million of the $45 million worth of guarantees left in the contract, according to the report.
The Falcons were asked about the report but elected not to comment and noted that coach Raheem Morris spoke about the Cousins situation at the recent NFL business meeting.
Teams have balked at those trade terms.
“To date, no has been willing to do that, and no team is expected to be willing to,” Schefter wrote. “But what happens this weekend (in the NFL draft, which runs Thursday-Saturday) — and which franchises come out of the draft with or without rookie quarterbacks — could influence how much guaranteed money a team might be willing to absorb on Cousins’ contract.”
There could be a sliding-scale approach in which teams could give more or less draft compensation based on the amount of Cousin’s salary they would agree to pay.
“How much any team would be willing to pay also would influence the compensation it gives up,” Schefter wrote. “The higher the payment, the lower the draft compensation; the lower the payment, the higher the draft compensation.”
The Falcons have declared Michael Penix Jr. as their starting quarterback.
The current quarterback market is waiting for a decision from Aaron Rodgers. In New Orleans, Derek Carr’s injury situation could lead to a change. The Giants signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.
The Browns traded for Kenny Pickett and recently signed Joe Flacco.
Cousins’ situation could become clearer after the draft.
The Falcons report for their offseason program on Tuesday. Cousins is not expected to report. Morris noted that they plan to move forward with Cousins as the backup but did not rule out a trade.
“Everything is the same as far as how we feel about Kirk,” Morris said recently at the league meeting. “Going into, at any point that we’ve talked about it, thus far, we still feel very strongly about Kirk being our backup quarterback. We still feel very strongly about the human. We still feel very strongly about where he stands right now.”
Morris was realistic about the Cousins situation.
“Obviously, we know this is a business,” Morris said. “There are business aspects to everything that you do.”
The Falcons would like to get some sort of compensation for Cousins.
“We are always going to make the right decision on doing what’s best for the Falcons,” Morris said. “Doing what’s best for us from a financial standpoint.”
Cousins, who’ll turn 37 in August, wants to be a starting quarterback. The Falcons contend they are working in good faith.
“This is not a thing where we are holding you back if the opportunity presents itself,” Morris said. “If it’s something that is good for the both of us, good for the Falcons and Kirk Cousins, we’d certainly like to see that happen.”
Also, Cousins has a no-trade clause. He’ll have to waive it and agree to play where the Falcons are sending him.
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