When Netflix signed up its stars for the new season of its fly-on-the-wall documentary Quarterback, they couldn’t have known what they were signing up for.
By inking Joe Burrow, Jared Goff, and Kirk Cousins to be on the show, they most likely would’ve expected the story to follow the three quarterbacks of NFL franchises that were desperately trying to smash the glass ceiling and become consistent contenders for a Super Bowl title.
Given Cousins was handed a four-year, $180m deal with the Falcons, it was also reasonable to expect that the show would portray the former Minnesota Vikings and Washington Commanders quarterback as the future of the Georgia franchise.
That all turned sour quickly, however, when Atlanta spent their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Washington prospect Michael Penix Jr., ostensibly to be their starting quarterback in the near future. That came to pass by Week 16 of the 2024 season, leaving the team and Cousins going into the offseason at an impasse, with their highly-paid signal-caller looking to get out to start elsewhere.
Cousins spoke on this in the Netflix documentary, and will not have doused the flames of that particular fire with the words he chose.
Kirk Cousins felt ‘misled’ by the Falcons, played hurt to avoid benching
Speaking in various episodes of the documentary, Cousins pulled very few punches talking through his feelings and emotions throughout a tumultuous 2024 season.
“I wasn’t expecting us to take a quarterback. At the time, it felt like I’d been a little bit misled,” said Cousins. “Certainly if I had the information around free agency, it certainly would have affected my decision. I had no reason to leave Minnesota with how much we loved it there, if both teams are gonna be drafting a quarterback high.”
“But I’ve also learned in 12 years in this league that you’re not entitled to anything. It’s all about being able to earn your spot and prove yourself,” he went on.
Cousins also discussed playing injured, saying that he was dealing with injuries to both his throwing elbow and shoulder from just after midseason.
“You also know that if you sit down Week 10 and take two or three weeks or more to let it heal, you may never get your job back. So that was something I always was aware of, that in this league, if you give someone else the chance, if you want to be Wally Pipp and there’s Lou Gehrig behind you, that can happen. At the time, you gotta make the decision with the information you have then,” Cousins said.
What next for Kirk Cousins?
To be fair to Cousins, he does sound somewhat understanding of being benched, or at least can sympathize with head coach Raheem Morris, who had to inform him of the decision. The issue for both Cousins and the team now is what to do next.
The quarterback carousel has largely stopped spinning, thanks to Aaron Rodgers signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, so it’s getting harder to predict a destination for the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback.
A middling performance last year, throwing 18 touchdowns to 16 interceptions, and compiling a 7-7 record in his starts, probably won’t have teams battering down Atlanta’s door either.
Cousins’ best chance of moving on is likely a training camp injury to a current starting quarterback, which would then allow him the option to be traded there, a la Sam Bradford. Failing that, his other option is to wait the Falcons out, as both the size of his contract and the pressure on Penix may lead to some surprises if the team stumbles out of the gate.
That could lead to a Jimmy Garoppolo-like redemption arc for Cousins, although it feels a long shot at this point. In a league so lacking in competent quarterback play, it seems bizarre that a player with such accolades and solid play behind him isn’t garnering more interest, but perhaps the last few injury-hit years are finally catching up to him. This story isn’t finished yet, but it’s difficult to see where the next chapter will be so soon.
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