Falcons did Kirk Cousins wrong: How 2024 NFL offseason could’ve been turned upside down if QB rejected Atlanta

It’s been more than a year since Kirk Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons and although he got a massive four-year contract, he’s clearly still bitter about the fact that the team wasn’t honest with him during negotiations. 

During the first episode of the Netflix series “Quarterback,” not only did Cousins say the he felt “misled” by the Falcons during free agency in 2024, but he insinuated that he would NOT have signed in Atlanta if he had known that the Falcons were planning to take a quarterback with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, a pick they eventually used on Michael Penix Jr. 

“If I had the information around free agency, it certainly would’ve affected my decision,” Cousins said. “I had no reason to leave Minnesota with how much we loved it there if both teams are going to be drafting a quarterback high.”

It sounds like Cousins would have preferred to stay in Minnesota. If the veteran QB is still upset about the situation, he has every right to be, according to former NFL agent Joel Corry. 

“The Falcons weren’t candid about the QB situation when Kirk Cousins was making his decision in free agency. If I represented Cousins, I would pissed about key info being withheld,” Corry, who works for CBS Sports, wrote on X. 

The Falcons’ decision to mislead Cousins ended having a dramatic impact on the 2024 offseason and with that in mind, we’re going to take a look at how the offseason might have played out last year if Cousins had STAYED in Minnesota. 

BROCK BOWERS TO THE BRONCOS? BO NIX TO A DIFFERENT AFC WEST TEAM? Those might have happened if Cousins had re-signed with the Vikings. If the Falcons had been honest with Cousins about their plans at quarterback, here’s how the offseason might have played out:

• MARCH 2024: Cousins stays in Minnesota. As Cousins said, he had no reason to leave Minnesota, so he likely would have stayed with the Vikings if he had known that the Falcons planned on drafting Penix. Cousins would have battled J.J. McCarthy for the job and due to McCarthy’s injury, Cousins would have assumed the starting job in Minnesota for a seventh straight season. The Vikings went 14-3 with Sam Darnold and it’s hard to see them doing worse with Cousins, so it’s certainly possible he could have led them to 15 or 16 wins. This would have set the stage for Cousins to sign a massive contract in free agency this year. 
• MARCH 2024: Sam Darnold signs with the Broncos. With Cousins staying in Minnesota, that means the Vikings would NOT have signed Darnold. During free agency in 2024, Darnold wasn’t exactly a hot name, so he didn’t have a huge market. The Broncos were one of the few teams besides that Vikings that actually made him an offer, so in our what-if scenario, we have Darnold signing in Denver. 
• APRIL 2024: Broncos pass on Bo Nix and take Brock Bowers in the NFL Draft. With Darnold on the roster, the Broncos decide they don’t need to use their first-round pick on a quarterback, so Nix is off the table. Instead, the Broncos grab Bowers with the 12th overall pick, stealing him from the Raiders (Bowers to the Broncos was a popular mock draft scenario in 2024). The selection of Bowers gives Darnold a massive weapon for his first season in Denver. 
• APRIL 2024: Raiders select Bo Nix with the 13th overall pick. The Raiders general manager for the 2024 draft was Tom Telesco and during a June 2025 interview with The 33rd Team, he admitted that the Raiders might have taken Nix, if he had been available. “Bo Nix, his background of work, his durability, his movement skills — that one was interesting, and he’s gone to the perfect team. That would have been a good possibility [at pick No. 13].” Instead of playing for the Broncos, Nix would have been facing them twice per season. 
• MARCH 2025: Cousins signs with Browns in 2025. If Cousins had stayed in Minnesota last year, he likely would have signed a one-year deal with the knowledge that the Vikings would be moving on to McCarthy in 2025. That means Cousins would have hit free agency this year and that’s where the Browns come in. Instead of drafting Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel or signing Joe Flacco, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski decides to reunite with Cousins, a player he coached in Minnesota for two seasons. 

So there you have it. If the Falcons had been honest with Cousins about their quarterback situation, the trickle-down effect would have led Nix to Las Vegas, Bowers to Denver and Cousins to Cleveland.