Kirk Cousins After Rodgers: Where Will the Falcons QB Land When the Steelers Say ‘Adios’?

Alright, strap in, because the NFL’s quarterback carousel is spinning faster than your drunk uncle at Thanksgiving dinner. The Pittsburgh Steelers finally locked down Aaron Rodgers for a one-year gig — a move as bold as it is baffling — but now the inevitable drama blooms like mold on last week’s leftovers: where in the unholy quarterback wasteland will Kirk Cousins land next? Spoiler alert: it’s not as simple as it looks.

Let’s paint the scene for you. Rodgers, the four-time MVP with all the star-power (and Grey Cup experience, apparently), signed a modest $13.65 million deal to quarterback the Steelers for 2025 after he rode out a tumultuous ending in New York. Meanwhile, Cousins, Mr. $180 million in plastic money, surged into Atlanta last offseason and promptly got benched in favor of Michael Penix Jr., the shiny eighth overall 2024 draft pick who’s already got the Falcons dreaming again.

Now, Cousins wants out — not quietly, oh no — he literally begged Falcons owner Arthur Blank for a chance to actually play somewhere else. But, of course, the Falcons ain’t about to just let their wallet burn without making someone pay. Instead of cutting him loose, Atlanta hit Cousins with a $10 million roster bonus that kicks in next year. Translation? You want Cousins? Hold my beer. It’s trade or bust — and with that pesky no-trade clause Cousins flexes like a royal decree, it’s hard to see him just waltzing away.

Here’s the kicker: Cousins’ final five games last year were an absolute dumpster fire. We’re talking one lone touchdown vs. nine interceptions. Yikes. Even Atlanta might have sticker shock on that contract, but hey, desperate times call for desperate quarterback shuffles, right? Cousins was solid before the slide, rocking a 17-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio, 69.2% completion, and just over 258 yards per game for nine weeks. It’s a tale of two seasons wrapped into one man’s rollercoaster ride.

So, Where The Hell Could Cousins Possibly Go?

Let’s check the hot spots where the quarterback saga gets interesting — the top three NFL destinations that could realistically make Cousins a starting QB for 2025 (or at least pretend to try):

1. New Orleans Saints

The Saints suddenly find themselves quarterback orphans after Derek Carr threw in the towel due to a nasty shoulder injury. Their quarterback cupboard runs bare: Spencer Rattler has a grand total of six starts from last season, Jake Haener’s seen about two snaps, and rookie Tyler Shough, a second-round pick with decades of college starts but zero pro experience, is the supposed guy for 2025.

Enter Kirk Cousins: a seasoned vet with 13 NFL seasons, 288 touchdowns (which is about 284 more than everyone currently in New Orleans combined), and four Pro Bowls. He could step in and slap the Saints’ QB drama into temporary submission — or at least until the inevitable rebuild. But here’s the catch: the Falcons ain’t eager to send Cousins to a division rival. Yet, if anyone’s desperate enough to deal for a proven arm, the Saints gotta be the frontrunners.

2. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts are in that classic nail-biting scenario where Anthony Richardson, a young QB with serious talent but a body made of glass, is nursing a shoulder injury that could shelve him indefinitely. Daniel Jones, the veteran wunderkind, is the other competitor, but — let’s be honest — neither inspires unwavering confidence right now.

What’s more, Richardson hasn’t exactly been a rockstar, having been benched for Joe Flacco last season, while Jones was benched midseason himself. In other words: the cupboard’s half-empty and the coaching staff is sweating bullets. Enter Cousins again as a potential rescue act if the Colts decide to pull the trigger. Where there’s a will (or need), there’s a way.

3. Cleveland Browns

The Browns’ quarterback room has been a soap opera of biblical proportions lately. They have Joe Flacco (veteran backup vibes), Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders (rookie lottery tickets), plus Kenny Pickett already on the roster. Oh, and then Deshaun Watson, who’s got more Achilles injuries than a Greek tragedy and is likely to miss the entire season.

Cousins seems like the only guy who could calm the chaos — and he actually knows their head coach, Kevin Stefanski, from their Viking days. Put those two brains in a room, and maybe, just maybe, healing happens. Rumors swirl that if the Browns can’t pick a clear-cut starter from their current mess, Cousins might be the lifeline they desperately need.

The Bottom Line

Look, Cousins’ situation is the NFL’s equivalent to that kid who wanted to be a starter so badly he told the teacher he’d burn down the school if he didn’t get his way — but the school also knows they can milk that kid for years. Cousins has been high-priced and wildly inconsistent, but a six-game stretch of elite play last year means someone out there might roll the dice. Some desperate NFL franchise with a shaky QB room might just throw caution (and cap space) to the wind and make a trade happen.

The Steelers got Rodgers — a guy whose style fits like a glove (and a fancy silk cufflink) with their offense, and now the league’s quarterback landscape is shifting faster than you can say “but wait, there’s more!” Kirk Cousins is the actual next big story, and how the Falcons shuffle him off their payroll could be one of the last NFL offseason cliffhangers to watch this summer.

Will Cousins land in New Orleans to quarterback a train wreck? Will Indianapolis gamble on his veteran savvy? Or will Cleveland orchestrate the most dramatic reunion of the decade? One thing is clear: this saga will get messier before it gets any better. Buckle up, folks — the NFL’s never boring, and with Cousins on the move, the drama is just getting started.