Marc RaimondiApr 22, 2025, 02:54 PM ET
- Marc Raimondi's first year covering the Falcons was 2024, but it wasn't his first year at ESPN. He joined the company in 2019 and was a top combat sports reporter. He also covered professional wrestling and wrote the book "Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Pro Wrestling's New World Order Changed America," which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2025. Raimondi also worked for the New York Post and Newsday, beginning in 2009, covering high school and college sports, plus the NFL, NFL, MLB and NHL.
Kirk Cousins is in attendance on the first day of the Atlanta Falcons voluntary offseason program, sources confirmed with ESPN. The news was first reported by Atlanta's WSB-TV.
The quarterback was not expected to be present for any of the team's voluntary workouts. Head coach Raheem Morris said as much last month at the NFL's annual league meeting.
Cousins and the Falcons are at an impasse with regards to his future with the team. Cousins lost his starting job in Week 16 last season to then-rookie Michael Penix Jr., who Atlanta has pegged as the franchise's quarterback of the present and future. The Falcons are comfortable with bringing Cousins back as Penix's backup, but Cousins would prefer to be released so he can be a starting quarterback somewhere in the NFL in 2025.
Atlanta does not want to release Cousins, who is owed a guaranteed $27.5 million this coming season. Cousins also has a no-trade clause and would have to clear any kind of swap. The Falcons would not mind trading Cousins as long as a team is willing to take on some of that guaranteed money, which includes a $10 million roster bonus in 2026.
For those reasons, the expectation was that Cousins would not come to Flowery Branch, Ga. for the voluntary portion of the offseason program.
"I'm not going to be foolish to think that he's going to show up for voluntary work," Morris said at the league meeting. "Right now, we're dealing with a businesslike mode. ... We're dealing with that type of feel. I don't think he'll be there. If he is, we'll welcome him with open arms. But I'm not going to be foolish enough to make myself get worked up and angry about Kirk Cousins missing voluntary workouts."
But Cousins is indeed present, one day after the Falcons signed another quarterback, Easton Stick, as a likely reserve behind Penix and potentially Cousins if a deal cannot get done. Stick spent last season as the No. 3 quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers behind Justin Herbert and former Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke.
The Falcons signed Cousins last offseason to a $100 million guaranteed contract and then stunningly drafted Penix at No. 8 overall a few weeks later. Cousins, coming off a torn Achilles, played well last season, leading Atlanta to a 6-3 start, its best since the 2016 Super Bowl team.
But, beginning in Week 10, Cousins struggled. He went on a five-game stretch with nine interceptions and just one touchdown pass before being benched in favor of Penix.
The Falcons lost four straight during that span and finished 8-9, short of a playoff berth. Atlanta has not had a winning record nor made the playoffs since 2017.
