Atlanta Falcons are team to watch for possible Kirk Cousins move | Pro Football Talk | NFL on NBC

Mike Florio and Chris Simms unpack the possibility of Kirk Cousins going to the Falcons and question if Russell Wilson would be the QB the Vikings would then turn to, or even Justin Fields. #NBCSports #ProFootballTalk #KirkCousins
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Atlanta Falcons are team to watch for possible Kirk Cousins move | Pro Football Talk | NFL on NBC
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Anytime free agency is involved uh you know we can uh we can have plans and and Kirk knows you know how I personally feel about him he knows how our organization feels about him uh I believe Kirk wants to be a Minnesota Viking I do believe uh that I’ve had

Some great dialogue with him pretty much weekly throughout the off season uh you know leading into kind of as we step foot in Indie for the combine uh but there’s a process Mike you know that that that’s got to play out and uh I

Think if for us to you know be able to get to the place where we can come to an agreement and have Kurt Cousins as our quarterback moving forward which is what you know I would love to see happen uh we’re going to have to find that that

Space that common ground but ultimately knowing uh both parties want the same outcome I do believe uh I feel strongly we’re going to be able to get something done that’s Kevin okono from last Tuesday I can’t believe it’s already been a week since we spoke to him and 14

Other coaches and general managers at the scouting combine he made it clear clear to us that he wants Kirk Cousins back I asked him 100% unequivocal you want him back yes and I believe him I believe him been saying it for two years how much he likes him yes now you can

See that full interview by the way at the NFL on NBC YouTube page and you can see it embedded with the post last night that suggests that the Vikings despite the wishes of Kevin oconnell will not be keeping Kirk Cousins it’s not final yet but the Atlanta Falcons are the team to

Watch for Kirk Cousins the indications are there and maybe it’s all part of the broader Bluff to get the Vikings to increase their offer I mean if you’re going to commit to the bit you do things like say go check out schools that your

Kids will go to or go find a house that you’ll buy if you happen to buy a house within 10 minutes of the team facility or start talking to oh I don’t know the guy who Curr currently wears your preferred number about getting it those are the kinds of I’m not saying they’ve

Happened here those are the kinds of things that that would indicate that a potential relocation of the cousin’s family is being contemplated now again it’s never done until it’s done and the Vikings could break up and wake up and come out of this fever dream and realize that Kirk

Cousins will indeed find better elsewhere and it could be too late that was one of the Vibes I got when we had Kirk Cousins on the set at the Super Bowl and Mrs cousins was talking to Mrs Florio and I had a chance to participate in their conversation for a little

He didn’t say anything definitive but one of the Vibes I got is you know why do we got to wait so long for the Vikings to do what they claim to want to do at some point the human beings say you had your chance the other one the

Ones in Atlanta oh by the way where cousin’s wife grew up and her parents still live they’re they’re coming after us you’re not you’re aloof you’re standoffish you you’re daring us to go out and find another offer okay we will that’s the the risk you take and that’s

Where you know they got this this analytics heavy approach that you got you still got to remember you’re dealing with human beings here yeah even though it is interchangeable parts on a giant football machine that will always keep rolling you still have to deal with the human beings who are those

Interchangeable parts and Connell wants him somebody else doesn’t not badly enough whether it’s quisa doam meno whether it’s Mark wilf whether it’s Ziggy wilf somebody doesn’t want cousins enough and Chris the wheels are in motion for the Falcons to take him I well see I I don’t I don’t totally like

I think there’s enough there I mean they’ve all come out and said it cevi as well like they’ve all backed K cousins right I mean how dare not not the GM G the GM threw that the GM threw that that shade at him last year know we don’t

Have he’s changed that tune he’s changed that tune he had commas during the year where he was like thrilled about Kurt Cousins and what he did and that they were going to work to try to get this done now how dare they take time on a

36y old quarterback who only has one leg that works right now whoa right that’s what I would say I mean his video on the tennis court yeah that’s cool he ain’t nowhere near playing football that might move a third grade offense the way he looked in that one it ain’t gonna move

An NFL offense all right so let’s be real here okay yep all right oh he barely could step into the throw oh he threw a 12 yard swing route whoa let’s give him 75 million guaranteed right now I mean they’re it’s not just easy they’re buying a little time they’re

Figuring a few things out certainly I’m sure they’re trying to figure out the right number and all that right but they’ve been out there about we want Russell Wilson so listen I go ahead Russell wison I mean uh we want cousin but but want Kirk Cousins they may get

Russell Wilson they may end up with Russell Wilson so so like Atlanta I know yeah you Kirk Cousins you don’t you don’t have to trade for him so that works out right I Zach Robinson the OC he was with okono in the ram so he’s heard the McVey stories about Kirk

Cousins and I’m sure he’s heard stories from coaches in Minnesota already so I understand that too but damn what I would say just more than anything is that’d be some bold move by both parties to it I really would be Kirk Cousins to leave Minnesota I mean it’s set up for

Him as good to maximize his potential I mean there’s not a better setting than Minnesota for Kirt cousins in there in football so that would be the big thing I would say Atlanta you’re taking a risk it’s a new staff you got to get to know

People right go ahead right well but but let me push back I still want Kirk Cousins to stay in Minnesota I have come around I love him I love him I love him not I love him I love him not but but you go to a division that is far weaker

Than the NFC North NFC North is murderer row now you you have Kyle pittz you have bejan Robinson you have Drake London you have Zack Robinson there although if you do really well in 2024 you may not have Zack Robinson for your second year with the fal and these are all questions

Still everybody’s still not sure how great Pitts is and Drake London right so you’re not you don’t trade that in for Justin Jefferson right I I hear you all that right it’s still bold move right as far as oh I’m going to go to a team

That’s seven and 10 three years in a row I’m going to leave a team that damn we were 13 and four seven and 10 three years in a row well yeah yeah you know they feel they just feel like they’re seven and 10 three years in a row right

Or maybe they were eight and nine last year whatever but e either way it it was close to that I’m in the general range you know that to me mediocre both teams are mediocre right both teams are mediocre and the Falcons have a better shot at getting to the playoffs than the

Vikings in 2024 I can I don’t know about that have a better shot I know about that I mean Minnesota was we talked about Minnesota was going to playoffs last year I mean they were playing good football if he doesn’t get HT Justin Jefferson gets hurt we talked about it

All year they were better last year than they were the year before right and so he’s set up for Success they have a good pass protecting on line he’s got an offensive genius he has Justin Jefferson Mario Addison right we’ll see what happens with KJ Osborne I believe he’s a

Free agent Addis uh Addison excuse me right you got TJ HK hinson’s recovering from a torn torn ACL right late but I just look at all those things and go wow you’re you’re going to just leave that right I and and I don’t buy it here’s my

Bottom line sentence I don’t buy it I think Kirk Cousins is the ultimate businessman I remember right when he got the contract from Minnesota right it wasn’t he he was being filmed he’s talking to his wife we got what we want we got the other team to start are

Bidding on us too we got him wear they he knows exactly what he’s doing so I’m not sure I’m buying all of this stuff as of right now I believe in kind of what you said that this might be been thrown out there you know start looking at some

Dots or whatever to get Minnesota to maybe raise their price or hasten the process a little bit um if it’s a bit they’re committed to it if it’s a bit they’re committed to it the problem is sometimes you can become become so committed to the ruse that the ruse becomes the

Mean at at some point the Vikings have to decide what are we going to do here and I agree with you look 35 going on 36 which is how the aging process usually works coming off of the torn Achilles tendon and and this and and look the they’re figuring out how they’re gonna

Pay Justin Jefferson this is part of the thing too right so it’s not just like oh here Kirk cousin here you go here’s a contract you got one leg but here just whatever you want write a blank check I mean so of course they we’re going to

Take a little time to figure things out and think about this a little bit the Vikings haven’t had a sense of urgency that that was what I took away from okono last week we know what we want to pay we want him he’s earned the right to bet on himself right that’s the

Very positive way of saying hey if you can do better more power to you this is the most we’re going to pay and I think they want to reserve the right to make a final offer that would match or exceed whatever the Falcons are willing to

Offer but cousins has the right to say it’s too late baby you had your chance that’s where the question becomes is it a ruse or is it real and if and again nothing’s done until it’s done we know that things can change all the time the

Vikings can snap out of it and offer him whatever the Falcons are offering and he can say yes or he can say you know I kind of liked that house we looked at I kind of like the school that our kidss would go to I kind of like the idea of

Being within a very reasonable drive like less than an hour of where you know my wife’s parents live and where she grew up I kind of like that that the Vikings are giving him the blank check to explore it and explore it he is the betting markets have reacted draftking

Sports book now has the Falcons is the favorite the Vikings have been the favorite for a long time the Falcons are now the favorite in negative territory for two different quarterbacks safe to say this Chris I don’t know much and I prove it every day I don’t think that

The Falcons are going to sign both Kirk Cousins and trade for Justin Fields I don’t think that’s going to happen it will be one or the other but they’re the favorite right now for both guys yeah that’s not possible it is possible that’s where it is yeah it’s it’s it’s

Interesting I mean we know they’re going to they’re going to make a play at quarterback you know I don’t doubt Kurt Cousins at some point in his life is going to settle down in that Georgia area I don’t you know so maybe that happens regard I mean

Regardless and it makes sense for them to like both guys like we talked about Kirk cous you know for Atlanta it’s down to wait how much are we going to have to pay a quarterback that is not extremely mobile right and he’s getting up there in age a little bit and he’s dealing

With one of the few injuries that we know does change people at that age a little bit or it has at least so do you how much are we going to have to pay for that and then the other is how much are we going to have to trade for a

Quarterback that we know that a team doesn’t want him as the quarterback anymore right where I think again every day that goes by Justin Field’s value goes down just a tick because it’s like come on they’re drafting Caleb Williams a one let’s move on so I’m sure that’s

Where they’re kind of you know gauging the temperature of the water on both of those little issues there as well so I I expect something to be done there by Atlanta and I do expect it to be one of the two it just um I don’t know which one it’ll

Be okay what do you think the the the the offer ends up being that cousins takes what do you think it is ballpark I think it’ll be like something that’ll average just a little north of 40 million a year right where maybe it’s only think it’s going be higher you

Think it’s going to be 45 and change more than that right 45 to 50 okay okay all right then how many years you think it’s going to be one of those where it’s a four-year deal but they can get out with it after two something of that that

Nature maybe a two-year commitment with some stuff on the back end cap purposes avoidable years and whatnot okay let’s just let’s say 45 let’s say 45 a year okay okay and let’s say you threw out the number 75 million guaranteed let’s say that 45 a year with 75 million fully

Guaranteed signing just for conversation purposes yeah if you’re the Vikings if you’re the Vikings do you want to invest and again this is all analytics driven personnel management is the original Bastion of analytics in the NFL how much can I get this guy for how much can I get that guy

For how much better is the more expensive guy than the cheaper guy so if you’re the Vikings if you’re the Vikings do you say okay 75 million fully guaranteed on a two-year $90 million commitment to Kirk Cousins or one year and 1.21 million for a guy who’s younger and a guy who isn’t

Coming off of a torn Achilles tendon what do you do if you’re the Vikings you go do you pay do you pay that to Kirk or do you say you know what if we just kind of sit back and let nature take its course we could get Russ because we’re

The one place Chris the we starting to talk about this last segment there’s a reason I brought it up right if the Vikings lose Kirk Cousins that’s the one place yeah that I think Russell Wilson can look at the depth chart and say I can trust that I’ll be Kevin ooc

Connell’s guy while wire to wire in 2024 I hear you I hear you there 100% I would agree with that thought right I think that’s a risky risky proposition for the Minnesota Vikings I do you know they know what they have in Kirk Cousins they know he really fits the Kevin oconnell

Offense right and they know he can execute it and play at a very high level at a very high level top 10ish top 12ish in football for sure right the last two years there’s no doubt about about that Russell Wilson we can’t quite say the same let alone Russell Wilson we just

Talked about right has shown the inability to be Surgical and run an offense that way Kevin okono wants surgical he wants I listen to me I like he told us in our meeting or in our interview last week right you know hey I I change Rules and Things I try to

Expose things I you know one week it’s this and then the same week it’s the next week it’s the same thing but I tweak it a little bit and you got to be smart to be able to roll with those punches and the changes of the rules and

Things like that so that’s where I don’t see that being a systematical fit for Russell Wilson and that’s where if they’re offering 40 million right now for a Kirk Cousins and like you’re saying maybe Kirk is sitting there going I’d like 45 or 46 right when I weigh

Those options I go well you know I’m going to pay Kirk Cousins 45 million and roll that way and go from there and we’ll re-evaluate in two years that would be my two cents there Mike okay let me throw in one more Wild Card we’re going to do a draft next of

The team’s most desperate for uh you know a better quarterback situation now it was a different regime yeah in 2021 in Minnesota but same ownership and I’m sure there’s still some similar Personnel that are still there working for the Vikings they didn’t do that I can recall a full

Overhaul and just fire every everybody in 2021 the Vikings wanted Justin Fields yeah and I I would suspect one of the reasons the Bears traded up from 20 to 11 I think it was right was it 11 was to get in front of the Vikings who would have taken Justin Fields while they

Still had Kirk Cousins under contract what if what if and you know hey all teams never trade in the division well you know the Patriots did trade Drew bledo to the bills in 20 the Eagles did trade mcav to this Washington Redskins and they and they knew and they they

Knew what they were doing take him so so um but but that’s another door number three for the Vikings Kirk Cousins door number one Russell Wilson door number two Justin Fields door number three if the Bears can’t unload him anywhere else and they got to unload him Justin Fields maybe becomes the

Vikings quarterback what do you think of that yeah I I mean I don’t know if I look at it and go it’s the perfect fit as far as that offense and Justin Fields but I think it’s bad right I mean if it came to this point where oh no we’re

Going to L lose Kirk Cousins I certainly think what I saw Kevin oconnell do with quarterbacks that are not as talented as Justin Fields yeah he can make it work and Justin Fields right even though there’s still more to be done and we heard the GM and the head coach of the

Bears say this right he’s shown some ability to be Surgical and run the offense it’s not perfect yet we know that right but you know it’s hard to be Surgical run the offense and do that when you got three rockets up your ass and you can run around the corner for 80

Yards uh and a touchdown that way too so he’s still in the process there yeah I could think that make that they can make that work here’s the other reason too Mike I just want to hit on too where did the GM of the uh Denver Broncos just

Come from right well they he came from Minnesota yeah you don’t think anybody in Minnesota’s talked to him a few times about Russell Wilson over the last two years so boom uh sorry uh Russell Wilson’s not on line one to go to the Vikings anymore well but but but here’s the thing and

You know I’m glad you mentioned George pton and George pton I like George pton I don’t know him real well I don’t know how he stays employed after making that trade and giving that contract I’m amazed that he’s still with Denver because I can’t I you know it’s the

Parcels in Shawn pyton that I think would make him say dude what the what were you thinking why’ you give him that contract you didn’t have to give him that damn contract I can understand trading for him but you give him that contract before he even takes a snap or

You kidding me so I and that’s a hard one George pton let me say this though it could be that George pton still sees something in Russell Wilson that they haven’t brought out yet now and maybe that’s the kind of thing when he’s having a a drink with somebody at Prime

47 late at night last week they’re having the real conversation about what went wrong with Russell Wilson it could just be you know if you could just do this if you could just do that if he just gets this if he just gets that it could still be good I think George pyton

Has a vested interest and this is where it’s weird Shawn pton deep down would like to see Russell Wilson go somewhere else and fail to validate his decision to move on I think deep down George pton would probably like him to go somewhere else and do well so someone like you or

Me says well now we see why he traded for sure for Russell Wilson now we see what’s there so it’s one of those weird conflicting emotions that two different people in the same organization have so I’m not going to say right out of hand that the Vikings would not be in the Russell

Wilson business because I think George pyton would sell them the glass half full side of it here’s why George why did you think he was what did you see in him and he’ll explain it yeah I don’t think he’s changed his mind about it no

I hear you I all I always say is go you know they’re just going to go damn it’s two coaches in a row and it failed right but here’s where I’ll defend George to your point too Hey listen you know none of us saw this coming right we didn’t

See this coming so you know a little bit like where yeah it’s a little unlucky for George pton I mean come on none of us saw Russell Wilson falling apart like this right and I don’t think the other thing I think where context matters in this situation right is a little bit of

They were boxing into a corner we’re getting a quarterback Nathaniel hackets our new head coach we’re getting Aaron roders right and plan B is Russell Wilson so he was kind of backed into that corner as well and that’s where I’ll give you know George pton the

Benefit of the doubt one none of us saw this happen all the more reason not to give him that contract all the more reason not to give him that contract that I can two years away two years away from his contract expiring every one of his prior contracts he had gotten a new

Deal with one year left they had no reason to do it unless behind the scenes Russa Wilson and his agent were clamoring well you know how that work talk about what a good well we talk about what a good business person ktk cousins has been Russell Wilson’s been

Pretty damn good too he got he got the Broncos to give him that contract before they saw him play a single game yeah well you know again that’s it’s a tough one too right we talk about that all the time too so you trade for a high-end

Player you make that work get the contract done now don’t wait till they become a free agent and now they go oh you traded all this stuff for me and now I’m you’re going to let me test the market and now I’m really going to screw you over and make you pay high-end

Market price so you know again I you know they kind of did the things that we see usually done with those situations you know I think it’s a little bit you know second guessing or whatever to to question it a little it it was a tough situation is all I’m saying your points

Are real but I think a lot of mine are too all right see you later hi it’s Mike Florio thanks for watching PFT on YouTube hit subscribe for the latest news and Analysis from pro football talk