Falcons predicted to trade $180 million blunder to hated rival with unsettled QB situation

The Atlanta Falcons have been facing a major dilemma since last season, when they made the surprising decision to bench Kirk Cousins. While quarterback benchings do happen, it’s rare to see it happen to a player who just signed a massive four-year, $180 million deal. That’s the situation the Falcons now find themselves in—and they have to decide whether to trade Cousins or keep him.

Atlanta’s options narrowed significantly when Aaron Rodgers signed with the Steelers, a team that was reportedly a potential landing spot for Cousins if a trade deal hadn’t fallen through.

“That stinks for Cousins, and the Falcons may not be too thrilled about running out of trade options either. While Atlanta has said it is ‘comfortable’ keeping Cousins around as its backup, general manager Terry Fontenot can't be eager to hand out a $27.5 million salary to his QB2,” Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox wrote.

Now, the Falcons are keeping a close eye on training camps across the league, hoping that a starting quarterback injury or poor performance might open a trade window. NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha believes Cousins will end up starting for another team at some point this season.

“[Dak] Prescott was one of four different signal-callers who didn't finish last season because of injury,” wrote Chadiha. “Two years ago, the Browns started five quarterbacks, while the Vikings and Jets each started four. It's a fact of life: Quarterbacks go down in this league. This is why Cousins has a decent shot of playing some place this year.”

Knox also suggests that Cousins’ next destination could be the New Orleans Saints.

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“New Orleans lost Derek Carr to retirement and is staging a competition between Jake Haener, Spencer Rattler and rookie second-round pick Tyler Shough,” Knox wrote.

A move to the Saints would be a tough pill to swallow for many Falcons fans—even if Cousins hasn’t been playing in Atlanta. Trading a player to a historic division rival feels like it violates some unwritten rule, but it could become a real possibility if the Saints’ quarterback battle doesn’t go well.