Breaking:7 foot ,5 star QB decommit flip commit to Oklahoma Sooner football today..
Breaking:7 foot ,5 star QB decommit flip commit to Oklahoma Sooner football today..
The Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver room is undergoing massive turnover this offseason. Deion Burks and Jayden Gibson will return, and they’ll have a new face in the wide receiver room. Oklahoma earned a commitment from Arkansas-Pine Bluff wide receiver Javonnie Gibson via the transfer portal on Wednesday.
Gibson was incredibly productive in 2024, recording 70 receptions for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns.
Barring an injury to Penix, the answer was a resounding no from all league corners. Sources did not believe that the Falcons would shuffle between quarterbacks, or even give Penix a trial before naming him the starter. Cousins’ recent five-game stretch, featuring nine interceptions to just one touchdown, helped confirm that decision. But the patchwork of reasons includes a play-caller and quarterback struggling to find success together; an Achilles repair hangover that tends to linger the first season after the injury; and a desire to look forward with a healthy runway for Penix rather than focus on sunk cost. One source also mentioned a belief that Cousins would not go along cordially with a decision to fight for his job in December, should the team create a week-to-week proposition.
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League sources unanimously agreed with the Falcons’ decision to change quarterbacks now, as 7-7 Atlanta sits one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South race. What they disagree on: whether signing Cousins was a risk worth the Falcons’ taking.
Were the Falcons right to sign Cousins and draft Penix in the same offseason?
It’s easy to say moving on from a quarterback 14 games in warrants a failure. And from a results standpoint, the Falcons’ move does. From a process standpoint? Most teams would rather have multiple darts at finding a serviceable quarterback if they can afford it, and one source even spoke to the benefit Penix and the Falcons could reap by resting him 14 games without the level of pressure that fellow draft picks navigated.
No. 1 pick Caleb Williams has absorbed a league-high 58 sacks with the Chicago Bears as Penix has learned from the sideline. New England Patriots rookie QB and No. 3 pick Drake Maye began taking hits later as New England waited to start him until Week 6, but he has nonetheless been under pressure on 14 dropbacks per game since, which is not far off the 15.2 fueling Williams’ league-high 213 pressures, per Next Gen Stats.
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Waiting to start Penix is a well-regarded decision around the league. Having Penix in-house was more complicated but respected, too. Signing Cousins to an expensive contract beforehand? One NFC executive said the Falcons positioned themselves to likely fall victim to criticism for poor process as soon as they signed both. If either quarterback didn’t pan out, much less both, their decision to invest prime capital in both deserved scrutiny.
“They pinned themselves into a corner,” the executive texted. “The 1 way for them to look good was for Kirk to play good/get hurt and the kid comes in and plays well.
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“If they move Kirk, they still paid him $62.5m for one year. Drafting the kid early forced them to make this move. If they trade or cut Kirk and he goes somewhere and plays well, they’ll look bad again. Not a good situation to be in.”
What are the financial implications for Atlanta?
The Falcons owe Cousins $27.5 million guaranteed in 2025. If he’s still on their roster on the fifth day of the 2025 league year — which hits March 16, 2025 — they’ll owe him another $10 million in early 2026 roster bonus, per a source with knowledge of the contract. Cousins also has a full no-trade clause that gives him plenty of autonomy in determining his 2025 team. That could hurt the Falcons if Cousins follows a similar path as Russell Wilson.
After the Denver Broncos released Wilson last March, Wilson signed with (and is now starting for) the Pittsburgh Steelers. He didn’t help the Broncos out with the offset language that required them to pay for any of his contract not covered by another team. The Steelers are paying Wilson the veteran minimum of $1.21 million this season. The Broncos are paying him another $37.7 million in 2024. Expect the Falcons to similarly be on the hook for $26.3 million of the $27.5 million next year if Cousins plays elsewhere.
In theory, even if a team signs Cousins to a multiyear deal, they could structure it creatively to essentially “borrow” $23.3 million from the Falcons in 2025 over the life of the deal. Even with a rookie contract for Penix, that will stretch the Falcons. One league source believed Cousins will have more leverage for a multiyear deal than Wilson did.
Where will Cousins play in 2025?
Sources from the executive and agent worlds agreed that it’s unrealistic to bet confidently on any outcome now. There remains movement at head coach, general manager and quarterback across at least a half-dozen teams. The draft cycle has yet to heat up in earnest. Teams will need to assess their options. As they do, Cousins will have an advantage: the relatively limited supply of starting quarterbacks expected to hit the market in 2025 through free agency and draft.
