By Samir Ajy
After drafting University of Georgia defensive end Jalon Walker with the 15th overall pick in this
year’s draft, Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot made another bold move on Draft
Night, trading back into the first round to pick James Pearce Jr., another standout defensive end
out of the University of Tennessee.
To trade back into the first round and acquire Pearce, the Falcons traded picks 46 (second
round), 242 (seventh round), along with next year’s first to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange
for picks 26, (used to select Pearce) and 101 (third-round pick used to select S Xavier Watts).
The decision to double-dip at edge rusher was risky, but understandable from a Falcons team
that has desperately needed a pass rush for over a decade. Since 2013, the Falcons have
finished in the bottom five in the NFL in sack totals seven times and in the bottom half a total of
10 times. Walker and Pearce join a young Falcons front-seven that includes Arnold Ebiketie,
Zach Harrison, Ruke Orhorhoro, and Bralen Trice, the team’s third-round draft pick in 2024,
looking to make his NFL debut after suffering an ACL tear during a preseason game against the
Miami Dolphins.
However, what has flown under the radar is how the trade impacts the seemingly never-ending
saga between the Falcons and quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Falcons brass has made it clear
that Michael Penix Jr. is their QB1, and it’s their prerogative to build around him. However, the
question of what they will do with Cousins lingers. If they were to cut him before June 1st, they
would absorb a $65 million dead cap hit. A post-June 1st cut would result in a $40 million cap
hit, the same amount of money the Falcons would owe him by simply keeping him on the roster
as a backup. Trading him would result in a similar cap hit, but the Falcons would likely acquire
additional draft capital- even if it were just a sixth or a seventh-round pick.
Nonetheless, without their 2026 first-round pick, the Falcons may have no choice but to retain
Cousins as a backup this upcoming season, even if it is understandably unpopular in the eyes
of their fanbase and local media. During his first three starts, despite occasional struggles with
timing and accuracy, Penix displayed poise in the pocket, along with elite arm talent and the
ability to make big time throws in key situations, including a touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts on
fourth down and goal late in the team’s Week 17 game against the Washington Commanders.
However, it is worth noting that Penix suffered four season-ending injuries during his collegiate
career, including two ACL tears. Moreover, Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris are
entering a must-win season. Perish the thought that if something were to happen to Penix
during the season, the Falcons would at least have a chance at keeping their season afloat with
a quarterback in Cousins who is familiar with and capable of successfully running Zac
Robinson’s offense. Contrarily, if such a scenario occurs without Cousins on the roster, there is
a strong chance that not only does Atlanta’s season go down the drain, but the new regime
would not even be able to use their first round pick, provided that owner Arthur Blank still
decided to clean house.
Despite Cousins informing Blank in a meeting that he would like to leave Atlanta, the entire
Falcons brass (Blank, Fontenot, Morris, and assistant general manager Kyle Smith) has made it
very clear that they will do what is in the best interest of the franchise. Before the draft, the
likelihood was that Cousins would either waive his no-trade clause to a team that was still in
need of a quarterback and hadn’t drafted one in the first round, or remain on Atlanta’s roster as
Penix’s backup. If the Falcons are to trade Cousins, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the probable
destination. Their quarterback room currently consists of veteran backups in Skylar Thompson
and Mason Rudolph, along with rookie sixth-round draft pick Will Howard. However, they have
recently shown interest in Aaron Rodgers, and where Cousins ends up will likely depend on
whether Rodgers elects to retire or sign a contract with the Steelers. As for now, the Falcons’
attempt to go all in on fixing their pass rush may have indirectly cost them leverage regarding
their options on what to do with Kirk Cousins, increasing the likelihood of them having the most
expensive backup quarterback in NFL history on their roster.
