Sometimes, it’s just enough to matter when it counts.
That’s what the Atlanta Falcons are getting in reportedly signing quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal as the new face of the franchise.
As Cousins bids farewell to the Minnesota Vikings, he’ll join a Falcons team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since the 2017 season and could’ve been confused for a Canadian Football League team the past couple of years.
The further the Falcons have gotten from the playoffs, the more irrelevant the franchise has become in the grand scheme of things. Atlanta hasn’t had a Sunday night game since the 2019 season, and it hasn’t had a Monday night game since 2020.
Heck, the NFL didn’t even put the Falcons on Thursday night last season.
The three years of the Arthur Smith era featured flashes of brilliance but saddlebags of mediocracy to make any flashes forgettable. But Atlanta’s issues go past the vitriol between Smith and the fantasy football community.
In actuality, the team has been on the downward slope since blowing a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl 51, one that left possible Hall of Famers in Matt Ryan and Julio Jones without a ring and too many losing seasons to close their times with the franchise. General manager Terry Fontenot has shoveled the team out of cap hell since joining the team in 2021, and his rosters have been on the upward tick while Smith’s coaching remained stagnant.
That’s why Fontenot got the chance to stick around for Raheem Morris as head coach, and ultimately, Captain Kirk to land in the ATL.
While Cousins is coming off an Achilles injury, he won’t need to do much more than point and throw with two outstanding passing options in wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts. More will come.
Cousins will also have one of the most dynamic backfields in the NFL led by running backs Bijan Robinson, who looks poised for superstardom, and Tyler Allgeier. Combining that with a Sean McVay-based offensive scheme that plays to Cousins’ strengths and a sound offensive line, and Cousins should be able to fit right in and not be forced to shoulder the offense by himself.
Atlanta’s defense is all at once much better than it ever has been and not quite as great as you’ve heard, with more work needed in the defensive front and secondary to really label this one of the league’s better units. However, it’s probably as good of a defense as Cousins as had recently.
Ultimately, this likely came down to money, as the Falcons reportedly gave Cousins a king’s ransom to make the trip down to Flowery Branch to the tune of $100 million guaranteed. It’s a push for a franchise that needed someone reliable at the game’s most important position in a draft where the top options were likely gone by the time Atlanta picked in the first round.
More importantly, it’s a move that gives Atlanta back a spotlight that it hasn’t had in years, one that should will primetime games, actually maximize its potential-laden offensive talents and perhaps get the Falcons back to the postseason for the first time since January 2018.
Trying to peg the Falcons as a Super Bowl contender right now feels a bit premature, as signing Cousins doesn’t mean the Falcons will be able to thrive in an evolving NFC. However, it does give them a much better chance to than the team has had in quite some time.
Making a blockbuster move like this is all about the potential. For the first time in years, the Falcons feel like they have meaningful hope to escape the doldrums of 7-10 seasons and unfulfilled promises.
Having one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL won’t guarantee success, but it’ll make people pay attention to Atlanta again and provide some optimism for a fan base that had to suspend a little disbelief to get excited for Desmond Ridder last year. Ridder was okay, but he wasn’t, y’know, an option.
Cousins is a steady hand who can get the job done, and he’s going to make people pay attention to the Falcons again. How far this move will take Atlanta will depend on factors undeterminable in March, but eyeballs and expectations are two things this franchise desperately needed.
With Cousins, you’ll get both, which is not something the Falcons could’ve said before Monday afternoon.
