Quarterback Kirk Cousins signed a massive $180 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons last offseason but was benched in the second half of the season after struggling immensely.
In early February, Cousins said that he had some injuries that impacted his play, but those comments were recently shot down by Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot.
Terry Fontenot Contradicts Kirk Cousins
Cousins had previously appeared on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” and stated that he was injured in the Week 10 matchup against the New Orleans Saints, and injuries to his shoulder and elbow affected his play.
The Falcons ended up losing that game to the Saints and went on a four-game losing streak that led to Cousins being benched in favor of rookie QB Michael Penix Jr.
In an interview on the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 25, however, Falcons GM Fontenot pressed against this story from Cousins, stating, “He was on the injury report heading into the Denver game. He wasn’t on the injury report any other times at any other points of the season, so we weren’t aware of any injuries.”
Fontenot is correct in that Cousins was only on the injury report heading into the game against the Denver Broncos (Week 11). That week, Cousins was listed as limited on the injury report for only one day, with a right shoulder and right elbow injury.
That practice was just a walk-through, however, and it was an estimated injury report. After the game, Cousins said that was just a “clerical error” and that he was fully healthy.
Cousins signed his massive deal in the offseason, coming off of a torn Achilles that he suffered in Week 8 of the 2023-2024 season. He admitted that his right ankle was never perfect throughout the season but also that it didn’t affect him that much, either.
It was an unfortunate ending to the Falcons’ season, having started 6-3 and in prime position to win the NFC South after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers twice in those first nine games. Yet, in the end, it was the Bucs who would win the division.
Cousins admitted in that interview that his future with the team is uncertain, as Penix came in and played well in the final three games after the veteran’s benching.
Fontenot has stated that the team is comfortable with Cousins being Penix’s backup in 2025, which would make him one of the most expensive backups in NFL history should that end up being the case.