Last year, the Falcons committed $100 million to quarterback Kirk Cousins, roughly six weeks before making quarterback Michael Penix Jr. a top-10 pick.
This year, the possibility of a Cousins trade looms over the team.
During a Wednesday pre-draft press conference, G.M. Terry Fontenot addressed a recent report from ESPN that the Falcons want a new team to pick up $20 million of Cousins’s remaining $37.5 million in full guarantees.
“We haven’t put . . . a number on it,” Fontenot told reporters. “We wouldn’t share specific conversations with what we’re doing, but no, we haven’t — to answer your question — we haven’t put a specific number on it.”
Fontenot later reiterated that it’s “not accurate” to say they’ve applied a number to what they expect a new team to pay.
Cousins has a no-trade clause, which gives him final say on whether a trade happens. And it’s hard to imagine him agreeing to a trade to a team that won’t install him as the starter. If he’s going to be a backup, why not stay put?
It also makes sense for him to show up and work out at the team facility. If he pops another Achilles tendon at the facility, he gets his money. If he gets injured while working out at the local Planet Fitness, the Falcons could void his remaining guarantees and move on.
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