Falcons say Kirk Cousins participating in voluntary offseason program was unsurprising, despite trade rumors

Kirk Cousins' run with the Minnesota Vikings came to an end just over a year ago. The veteran quarterback signed a four-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons last March.

The status of Cousins remains a backdrop to the Falcons' plans for Thursday's NFL Draft. The veteran signal caller left some observers surprised when he reported for the first day of the team's voluntary offseason program.

But, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said he was not among the group who were surprised by Cousins' appearance. 

"I wouldn’t say a surprise," Fontenot said. "This is a voluntary thing. Whether a player comes or doesn’t come, we have a lot of good professionals who we know are going to take care of their bodies, including Kirk."

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Cousins' arrival in Atlanta last offseason presented him another opportunity to start, but his time as the Falcons' starter was ultimately short-lived. After a string of interception-riddled performances, the Falcons benched Cousins in December in favor of then-rookie Michael Penix Jr. 

Cousins remained the backup for the final three games of the season, with many believing he had taken his last snap in a Falcons uniform.

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Since the end of the regular season, the Falcons attempts to trade Cousins to another franchise have proven unsuccessful. Atlanta has been reluctant to release the quarterback, likely due to the financial implications. Cousins' salary for the upcoming season is fully guaranteed.

Fontenot has said the team is comfortable having Cousins remain with the team as the backup for the 2025 season. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris echoed similar sentiments at the recent NFL meetings in Florida, saying the team still feels "very strongly about Kirk being our backup quarterback."

Morris also acknowledged Cousins would like an opportunity to start, even if for another team.

"We won’t hold him back if opportunity presents itself," Morris said. "He's made it clear he’d like to be a starter."

Earlier this month, Falcons owner Arthur Blank confirmed he had an hour-long discussion with Cousins about his standing with the team. 

"I took five pages of notes, literally five pages of notes," Blank said. "It could not have been a more cordial and more respectful conversation."

WSB-TV was the first to report Cousins' participation in the Falcons' offseason activity. His participation comes amid a report from The Athletic's Senior NFL Insider, Dianna Russini, which stated at least three NFL teams have interest in acquiring Cousins.

Russini listed the Steelers, Browns, and Vikings as the clubs Cousins could potentially land with. Per the terms of his contract, Cousins would have to give his approval before any trade he's involved in becomes official.

 A trade for Cousins could materialize at some point during the draft, per the report.

"It’s believed that Cousins would be against any trade that involves sending him to a situation involving a young QB, similar to the situation he faced in Atlanta last year. If a trade were to happen, I’d expect it to go down on Saturday," Russini wrote.

Fontenot said his priority remains with trying to improve the Falcons roster. 

"We’re going to do what’s best for this football team, whether that’s a trade or whatever it is," Fontenot said when asked about his interest in trading Cousins.

The Falcons currently hold the No. 15 pick in the draft.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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