Could the Falcons Move Kirk Cousins to an NFC South Rival?

Pro Football Sports Network's Sterling Xie had the difficult task of naming one trade or cut candidate from every NFL team after the 2025 NFL Draft.

Well, it was probably a difficult task for the other 31 NFL teams. For the Atlanta Falcons, the exercise was rather easy with Xie naming quarterback Kirk Cousins his choice.

But Xie wasn't without surprises when he discussed a potential Cousins trade on May 2. The PFSN analyst proposed the Falcons consider trading the veteran signal-caller to the New Orleans Saints.

"The Falcons’ draft picks didn’t squeeze out Cousins, but the draft as a whole solidified the narrow universe of possible trade partners. The Pittsburgh Steelers remain the team most desperately in need of a quarterback. Aaron Rodgers still looks like the solution for Pittsburgh, but the mercurial 41-year-old always feels like a threat to change his mind. Cousins would serve as a logical Plan B for Pittsburgh given that the rest of the roster is built to contend for a playoff spot," wrote Xie.

"Otherwise, the options would be tough to decipher. Trading with the archrival New Orleans Saints is probably anathema to the Falcons, but even after drafting Tyler Shough in the second round, they would probably be the most logical trade partners if Derek Carr is out for the season. If Atlanta truly doesn’t see Cousins as a starting-level QB anymore, sending him to their biggest rivals for draft capital might be a way to knock out two birds with one stone."

While Xie's concluding statement makes complete sense, the Falcons would still be helping the Saints improve their roster by sending Cousins to New Orleans. Do the Falcons really want to face an angry Cousins twice next season?

With the Saints projected to be one of the worst teams in the NFC this season, both Saints matchups versus the Falcons, if Cousins is in New Orleans, could be the team's Super Bowl.

Cousins didn't do much with a revenge opportunity versus the Minnesota Vikings last December. Then again, it was more of a revenge game for the Vikings than for Cousins since the quarterback left on his own accord.

Furthermore, although Xie's statement makes sense, it could also easily be flipped around the other way. If the Falcons see Cousins as a quality backup worth keeping even at his high cap hit, then they shouldn't willingly allow him to play for a division rival.

Not unless the Saints offer the Falcons a king's ransom in return for the veteran signal caller. Otherwise, the Falcons are probably better off paying Cousins to be ready in case Michael Penix Jr. suffers an injury.