Terry Fontenot: Falcons are being "patient" with Kirk Cousins contract

The 2025 draft has come and gone. Quarterback Kirk Cousins remains on the Falcons' roster.

Appearing with Adam Schein of SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio on Tuesday, Falcons G.M. Terry Fontenot addressed the status of the former starter who has been supplanted by Michael Penix Jr., including specifically whether he'll be traded.

"We have to be patient there and we always we're open with not just talking about Kirk, but with really anybody on our roster," Fontenot said. "You know, we have a lot of those calls with — I've probably talked to already six or seven GMs, since the draft ended, and they're talking about their roster. We're talking about our roster because after you get through the draft, that shifts some things in terms of needs and surplus and all that.

"And so we're always patient with those types of things because if something comes to us with Kirk or any other player that makes sense and it's going to help this team, then we're going to be aggressive and we're going to do it. And if it's not something that's going to ultimately help this team, we always have to ask that question: Is it the best for the Atlanta Falcons or this organization? And if it is, we're going to be willing to do it. But all that communication is always ongoing."

There's currently no obvious spot for Cousins to be a starter. Cleveland has five quarterbacks. The Steelers expect Aaron Rodgers to sign with them, eventually. Every other team has its 2025 starter in the building.

We made the case last week for waiting. The Falcons, and Cousins, currently have little leverage. One injury could change everything.

It happened in 2011, when Carson Palmer decided he was done with the Bengals and the Bengals did nothing about it and, two days before the trade deadline, Raiders starter Jason Campbell suffered a broken collarbone. Boom, problem solved.

Cousins isn't agitating for a trade. He'll be a good soldier. And, ultimately, he holds a no-trade clause. Why be the backup somewhere else when he can stay where he is? He's getting $27.5 million, either way.

At last word, the Falcons reportedly wanted a new team to assume $20 million of Cousins's remaining $37.5 million in guarantees. (Fontenot denied that a specific number has been applied to the negotiations.) If a team loses its starter for the season, that team might decide to pay it all.

Remember when the Vikings lost Teddy Bridgewater in late August, nine years ago? They instantly became desperate enough to send a first-round pick and a fourth-pound pick to the Eagles for Sam Bradford.

Circumstances can change. The Falcons and Cousins would be wise to wait and see if they do. Especially since the current circumstances involve no takers for Cousins as a potential starter.