Korko highest paid backup in NFL history

[StickierBuns]

https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/stat...5192261743

Ari Meirov
@MySportsUpdate
·
#Falcons GM Terry Fontenot said they’re comfortable keeping Kirk Cousins as the backup, paying him $27.5M in 2025 while also triggering another $10M to become fully guaranteed for 2026 on March 17.

[MAD GAINZ]

What's strange to me in all this... Kirk was very good here. Then he blew his Achilles and went to the Falcons. From watching him play in games this season, it clearly looked like he wasn't super comfortable moving on the repaired Achilles. But why are the Falcons so ready to give up on him knowing it would take some time for him to get over the mental hurdle that his Achilles is healed and he's fine? I mean he could easily get back to the guy he was here.

Penix looked ok for a rookie but it wasn't like he came out and dominated. I guess I'm just surprised they are already saying Kirk is the backup and aren't even entertaining the idea of having a QB competition between him and Kirk heading into next season.

Maybe the relationship is that bad after he got benched that Kirk wants to move on... especially when he was blindsided by the Penix pick after signing a big deal. This whole situation is just strange and I'm having trouble processing it. Lol

[MaroonBells]

I think if Michael Penix played better last year they'd probably feel more comfortable releasing Cousins.

[StickierBuns]

What's strange to me in all this...  Kirk was very good here.  Then he blew his Achilles and went to the Falcons.  From watching him play in games this season, it clearly looked like he wasn't super comfortable moving on the repaired Achilles.  But why are the Falcons so ready to give up on him knowing it would take some time for him to get over the mental hurdle that his Achilles is healed and he's fine?  I mean he could easily get back to the guy he was here.

Penix looked ok for a rookie but it wasn't like he came out and dominated.  I guess I'm just surprised they are already saying Kirk is the backup and aren't even entertaining the idea of having a QB competition between him and Kirk heading into next season.

Maybe the relationship is that bad after he got benched that Kirk wants to move on...  especially when he was blindsided by the Penix pick after signing a big deal.  This whole situation is just strange and I'm having trouble processing it.  Lol

The only logical thing is Atlanta feels its more than his repaired Achilles that's the cause of his lesser-than showing. As you mention, why give up so quickly on him otherwise? I watched him play and felt that it was much more than recovering from an injury. I think he's a smidge washed or at the very least starting that process. The organization overwhelmingly should be much more patient, but they aren't. They also drafted a QB. There's a reason for all of it and the only narrative that makes sense is that Korko isn't the player he was even a year and a half ago. And I don't see that magically improving. JMO. This was an Arthur Blank move, period, signing Cousins. And we know how well things pan out when the billionaires get involved in football decisions.

Minnesota dodged a giant bullet. But I also don't think they really tried too hard, either. Cousins is never going to get away from the narrative the media has had for him his whole career and he had a chance to.

[medaille]

There's nothing really being said here. There aren't very many reasons to say anything other than that they like their current players. They weren't going to cut him with a $65M dead cap hit.

That's it.

[StickierBuns]

There's nothing really being said here.  There aren't very many reasons to say anything other than that they like their current players.  They weren't going to cut him with a $65M dead cap hit.

That's it.

Totally agree. Not sure why they'd cut him or why the media thinks they are going to cut him this season. The conversation really that is interesting is WHY they've decided to keep him at QB2....because it obviously isn't about the injury, which by now is 100%. Its his play.

[pattersaur]

Totally agree. Not sure why they'd cut him or why the media thinks they are going to cut him this season. The conversation really that is interesting is WHY they've decided to keep him at QB2.

Paying him to stay might be cheaper than paying him to leave. Maybe he can rehab his value in the preseason? Who knows, it's a nice little mess they're in.

[NorseFeathers]

But for the first time on Feb. 4, Cousins revealed he was dealing with another injury in November. Cousins told NFL Network's Good Morning, Football host Jamie Erdahl that he suffered right shoulder and elbow injury while playing the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 10.

"Nobody is perfect in this league. We're never feeling 100%," Cousins told Erdahl. "[The achilles] didn't really affect me too much. But then against the Saints, got hit pretty good in my right shoulder and elbow. From there, kind of dealing with that was something I was working through.

"Just never could really get it to where I wanted it. Now that the season, you have the time and energy to say, 'Ok, let's get the right ankle back, let's get the right shoulder back, let's get the elbow back.' And if we can do that, feel like I have a new life ahead of me in pro football."

The $27.5m is guaranteed in 2025 no matter what the Falcons do. The only money decision is the $10m 2026 roster bonus that will be guaranteed if Cousins is on the Falcons roster on the 5th day of the 2025 league year.

https://www.si.com/nfl/falcons/kirk-cous...anted%20it.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/player/_/id/...ntract/cap

[medaille]

Yeah, that’s a weird way of phrasing things. I think the most politically correct way to phrase it would be “We’re excited to go into 2025 with Cousins and Penix as our QBs. We expect Cousins to be much improved over his 2024 campaign as his ankle and shoulder continue to heal. We expect Penix to continue to grow from the high floor he established in his rookie campaign. Both of these guys are competitors and both want to be the starter, and we expect both to be very viable for us in 2025, and we are really excited to see how they both look coming into camp. We hear a lot of words from people outside of the building that are concerned about how much money Kirk would be making if he were the backup. That’s not something we’re concerned with. We’ve allocated that money for the QB and we’re going to have two starting caliber QBs for 2025, when many of the other teams in the league don’t even have one, and that’s something we’re very excited about.”

I don’t know why they’re declaring Penix the starter at this point and ignoring his obvious injuries. It seems like it just weakens their negotiating positions, because it makes Cousins look less like a viable starting QB. Regardless, they can’t really trade Cousins until he is healed enough to do a workout and look like a viable starting QB, which I don't think we've seen yet, although it will probably come out closer to the legal tampering period.

[StickierBuns]

It doesn't pass the smell test: so Cousins just decided to not tell the team about this injury? Why? I think this is damage control for a player that is most likely fading. I see some fans don't understand why, but I think the answer is evident because what else could the answer be? Placing him at QB2 tells you.