MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

This is a great line... Ima steal it.

I gotta wonder if the Falcons executives even want Cousins around and may have or want to move on from him? I also wonder when Cousins was stinking the place up, why he didnt work with the coaches and or medical staff and let the team know he wasnt 100%. He says he was 100%, but bends that by saying no one ever is. In my mind his performance while hindered with some ailments was not a 'team' first decision on his part. On the other hand, maybe this year he's healed up even more and might have something left to contribute that would out-way the rawness that Penix might bring... always a dilemma and never a dull moment.

 

The whole thing about him being banged up raises a LOT of issues. He didn't tell reporters that he was banged up, even when they point blank asked him. And it's pretty much 100% certain the team knew as well. Did they do anything wrong by not reporting it themselves? Well, he was healthy enough to practice fully and healthy enough to play, so there was no situation that would require anything to be listed on the injury report.

And he still played well enough that for the most part, as fans we couldn't see that there was anything physically wrong. What I saw was that he'd make a bad throw and then get really tentative. Or at least it looked like that was the issue - that he just got spooked. But now it's sounding like he checked down repeatedly because he lost confidence in his arm strength, not confidence in his overall ability.

Would any of this be a reason for the coaches / front office to not want him around? I'm dead certain they knew all along, so I'll say no on that one. If they move him, it will be purely because of cap reasons on their end and/or his own wishes to be a starter elsewhere.

The interesting twist with the cap... now that we know what the actual number will be, the Falcons are presumably about $5 million over the mark and will have to make some moves before the start of the new league year. That amount shouldn't be too difficult to massage in through extensions or whatever. No concerns there at all. But it does limit the team's options on what to do with Cousins. If they release him with the post June 1 designation, they don't take the additional hit from accelerated signing bonus... but they still eat his 27.5 million guaranteed salary plus this year's 12.5 million bonus. Nothing gained for this year on the cap AND they are short a quarterback with nothing received in return. To me, that's pointless.

Releasing him without the post June 1 thing doesn't even seem like a possibility. Instead of needing to clear $5 million in cap space, they'd need to clear $30 million as $25 million of prorated signing bonus moves from 2026-2027 up to 2025.

Trading him becomes the only feasible way to get him off the roster, as it clears his salary off the books. They would drop that 27.5 million in salary but take on the extra 25 million dead money from his bonus, giving them a meager 2.5 million in cap savings for this year - not even enough to get them back under the cap at this point. And it creates a pretty significant hole on the roster. So to me the feasibility depends on the terms of the trade.

Or... keep him. And as I threw out there before, that really isn't a completely bat-guano crazy idea - especially considering Atlanta was perfectly willing to have both Cousins and Penix on the roster last year.

Personally, I'm convinced that the original plan was to keep Cousins for two years. The cap structure of his contract absolutely screamed to keep him through 2025 and move him before the 2026 roster bonus comes due. So has that really changed? I'm not so sure about that. It's still the same kazoo...

 

It really boils down to those 2 options, imo... trade or keep him.

How much could the Falcons gather with a trade is purely unknown at this point, so, unless a team who just loves Cousins offers a kings ransom, I really dont even see that happening.

Keep him and have a really healthy QB comp in the Spring and preseason would be a cool thing to have happen.

If Kirk, who is no dummy and takes care of himself, comes in to Camp with a positive attitude AND an actual 100% clean bill of health, he might have enough to do some real damage, and with Penix on the bench, just in case things with Cousins at the helm doesnt work out, thats not a bad situation.

If Penix kills it in Camp, would Kirk be happy ridding the pine and playing second fiddle?

A lot to keep an eye on.

 

Matthew Stafford wants $50 million to play in 2025 as Rams trade looms: report

Matthew Stafford, the Los Angeles Rams quarterback who could be on the trade block this NFL offseason, reportedly wants to be paid more heading into his 17th season.

During "Good Morning Football" on Monday morning, NFL Network’s Peter Schrager reported that the Rams and Stafford have a "fine relationship."

However, he wants to be paid more – among the top quarterbacks in the league to be exact.

"This is nothing between them personally," Schrager said about Stafford and the Rams. "This is a money issue. Matthew Stafford wants to be paid what he thinks he’s worth. He wants to be paid more than $50 million."

The Rams did give Stafford permission to discuss a contract with other teams this offseason despite being under contract for another two seasons before he’s set for free agency.

According to Sports Illustrated, quarterback-needy teams like the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers have contacted Stafford.

Schrager adds that teams are willing to pay Stafford more than the Rams are willing to offer him.

For the 2025 season, Stafford carries a $49.67 million cap hit, per Spotrac, and it goes up to $53.67 million in 2026.

The Giants are an intriguing team in terms of trading for Stafford because they own the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. However, Schrager said the Giants would never get rid of that pick for Stafford, but perhaps a second-round pick could be involved.

As for the Steelers, they were a playoff team last season with Justin Fields and Russell Wilson playing under center for them. Maybe Pittsburgh is willing to pay big money for a quarterback with a Super Bowl pedigree to make a playoff run they haven’t had since 2016, when they lost in the AFC Championship.

The Browns have Deshaun Watson under contract, but after re-tearing his Achilles during rehab, their quarterback situation is in limbo heading into 2025. Finally, the Raiders, now under the leadership of legendary coach Pete Carroll, are a rebuilding squad that could use more senior leadership in the locker room, and Stafford certainly fits the bill.

But like Schrager said, the Rams and Stafford don’t have a spoiled relationship, and perhaps they can work something out.

If $50 million is the starting point for Stafford, only nine other quarterbacks in the NFL are due to make that in 2025 – Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott is top of the list at $60 million per season.

The only quarterback making above $50 million on that list with a Super Bowl ring like Stafford is Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, who got his first Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LIX.

FOX SPORTS
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Sure are some very intriguing and complicated QB situations around the NFL for this upcoming 2025 season.

 

Interesting to note, that on an ESPN article today, Fontenot and Morris both deny knowing about Cousins late season injury that occurred week 10.

Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot and coach Raheem Morris said Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine that the team was unaware quarterback Kirk Cousins was dealing with an injury late in the 2024 season.

Cousins said, on NFL Network during Super Bowl week, that he got hit in the Week 10 game with the New Orleans Saints and hurt his right shoulder and right elbow. The arm, Cousins said, never got back to where he wanted it to be the rest of the season.

The Falcons put Cousins on the injury report one day during Week 11, mentioning that he was limited in practice (a walk-through, specifically) due to a right shoulder and right elbow issue. Cousins chalked up that injury-report appearance to a "clerical error" when asked after Atlanta's Week 11 game with the Denver Broncos.

Beyond that single injury report, Fontenot and Morris said the organization was not in the know regarding Cousins' injury. The quarterback struggled after Week 10, throwing nine interceptions and just a single touchdown pass over the next five games.

"He was on the injury report that one week," Fontenot said Tuesday at the NFL combine. "When a player is injured, we put him on the injury report and that's the only time he was on the injury report. So as far as we're concerned, that's the only injury we're aware of."

Pretty crazy stuff to say the least.

The Falcons' philosophy in regard to Cousins, Fontenot said, has not changed: The plan moving forward is for Cousins to be Penix's backup.

But Fontenot said keeping Cousins on the roster as Penix's No. 2 is still the plan, despite how much money is owed to the quarterback, who signed a $90 million guaranteed contract with the Falcons last season. The money had already been allocated to Cousins anyway.

"We understand that it's not ideal to have a quarterback at that cap number," Fontenot said. "Now, when we gave him that contract, the expectation was for him to be the starter at this point. And so that is a good number for a starting quarterback. But now that he's the backup, when we say we're comfortable, we're talking about the total funds allocated to the quarterback position, and that's already baked in."

So Cousins IS the Billion Dollar Backup... Lotsa drama for certain.

 

Matthew Stafford, Rams agree on restructured contract to keep star QB in L.A. for 2025 season

 

Must have shelled out some big bucks. He was looking for a 2 year deal worth 90 to 100 mill.

Hope Kupp lands in Minnesota

 

I gotta wonder where the Raiders head... Flacco, or Darnold, maybe stay with what they have in Gardner and O'Connell, but I doubt it. Rodgers looks like he might head to the Giants, they have been talking.

Fields and Wilson also available if some team is looking for a veteran.

 

I'm not buying that one, considering they did put him on the injury report for the following week. So he was banged up then, and over the next month he's absolutely terrible. Even if he insists he's okay, which any QB would likely do, they can't connect the dots? If they're really that clueless, they deserve to be fired. Missing the boat on that one cost Atlanta the division title.


SI and a few other outlets are now putting out articles hinting that it's not a sure thing the team will release him. Nice to know they're dropping the decaf crap and switching to real coffee.

It's pretty simple. The media was convinced they'd dump him because he's super expensive for a backup QB. Okay, that's true - if they keep him, he's expensive. But no one seemed to be taking the next step in thinking it through - if they release him, the 2025 cap cost is every bit as expensive (with the post June 1 designation) or even more expensive (without it) and they would then need to find another backup QB. So they end up with even more total expense, but a lower grade quarterback.

And given that they're already scrambling just to get under the cap, taking on the extra expense would hurt them in free agency at other positions.

A trade might be worthwhile since they need draft picks and could probably scoop up a serviceable backup kinda cheap. It would unload his guaranteed salary, so it's the only way to make the cap aspect more tenable.

(In that case, one top option for me would be to bring back Desmond Ridder now that the team actually has a full time QB coach and assistant QB coach. He never had a coach within the organization to drill him on improving his mechanics the first time around, which is mind-blowing when you really think about it. I don't think it will happen based on comments from Raheem Morris around the time he was traded. Not impossible though, as those mildly negative comments were based on Ridder leading the team as the true starter. Having him as the #2 might be a different story, especially when the cap is a major consideration.

There will be other options too, naturally. I throw out Ridder's name because I've already read that Las Vegas isn't resigning him, making him available in free agency. Not sure who else will actually hit the open market yet.)

 

Gonna be tough to find a dance partner.

 

Maxx Crosby: I think Aaron Rodgers is going to have a big year, I hope it’s in Las Vegas

Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby would love to play with Aaron Rodgers in 2025.

Crosby said on his podcast that he believes Rodgers is due for a bounce-back season this year, and that Las Vegas would be the perfect place for that.

“First year after an Achilles is one of the hardest things to do,” Crosby said of Rodgers’ disappointing 2024 season. “I think with all the doubt, all the negativity around Aaron Rodgers, ‘Oh, he needs to retire,’ things like that, he’s getting cut by the Jets, I think he’s going to come back and have a — I know he’s 42 or 41, but I think he’s going to have a big year this year, and I hope it’s in our town.”

Rodgers turned 41 last season and played some of the worst football of his career, but Crosby thinks that his 2023 Achilles injury was to blame for that, and a healthy and motivated Rodgers will be a different player this season.

“I think this year, fully healthy, full offseason, my prediction is he’s going to have a great year,” Crosby said.

per; PFT
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Just think, I really liked Max Crosby.

 

Maxx Crosby is really good at what he does, which in turn causes a lot of really hard hits to the head.

 

The Raiders will not have Gardner Minshew back in 2025.

Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Las Vegas has informed Minshew that he will be released when the new league year begins next week.

 

Now, absolutely. I don't see it happening. Before the trade deadline, if someone's QB gets hurt? That seems more likely.


The other aspect - and the main area where I might be wrong - is that all of the media articles without fail say that he's due a roster bonus if he's on the team the fifth day of the league year, and that's allegedly the reason why the team might cut him.

But... every news story about the contract when he signed it also said it was a 4-year, $180 million contract. And if you look up the details on either OverTheCap or Spotrac, there's no mention of a roster bonus until 2026. And the totals listed on both sites come out to $180 million. It's $110 million in base salary (12.5, 27.5, 35, 35), $50 million signing bonus, $10 million roster bonus in 2026 and another $10 million roster bonus for 2027. That's $180 million. So I'm going on the basis that the contract web sites are right about the details and that the various reporters are wrong about this mystery 2025 roster bonus.

 

Deshaun Watson may not play any games for the Browns during the 2025 season, but the quarterback’s contract still impacts the team’s offseason plans.

Field Yates of ESPN reports that the Browns have restructured Watson’s deal in order to create nearly $36 million in cap space for the coming season. Watson’s $46 million salary for 2025 is fully guaranteed and he’ll receive it as a bonus rather than a salary.

 

Wow, Seattle's really ripping it down. Their O-Line play last year(and before that) was right down there with the Bears, what are they doing about THAT?

 

Finding an expendable QB(s) to play behind the line and work towards one of the QBs high in the 2026 draft. Geno probably won’t get you to the playoffs behind that line, but he’ll win you too many games to get into the high pick realm to get a better QB.

 

Giants re-sign QB Tommy DeVito on 1-year deal

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants re-signed quarterback Tommy DeVito on Saturday. He was an exclusive rights free agent.

DeVito gets a one-year deal worth $1.03 million, the minimum salary for a player with his experience. There is no guaranteed money.

DeVito is the only quarterback currently under contract for the Giants, who are expected to add a veteran in free agency and likely could also pick up a rookie quarterback in the draft. Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson are expected to be among their top free agent options.

"We're going to look for the best player available that can help us win games in '25," general manager Joe Schoen said recently. "That's what we're going to do."

ESPN

 

Derek Carr staying in New Orleans on restructured deal

The Saints will have Derek Carr on their roster in 2025 and likely as their starting quarterback.

After talks to “work different things out” with Carr’s contract, the Saints will do a standard conversion, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Carr will have most of his salary converted to a signing bonus for salary-cap purposes, creating $30 million in cap space. Carr, who was scheduled to count $51.458 million against the cap, will make his full $40 million in 2025.

His cap number in 2026 rises to $69.2 million.

The Saints are working to get under the salary cap of $270.2 million before the league year begins Wednesday.

The restructure of Carr’s deal came only two weeks after General Manager Mickey Loomis said the Saints have a quarterback they can win with.

Carr signed a four-year, $150 million contract in 2023 and is 14-13 as a starter in New Orleans. He fractured his left hand in two places last season, playing only 10 games.

in part; PFT