National Football League

Why Kirk Cousins might end up being the answer for Giants

Published Mar. 18, 2025 3:30 p.m. ET

The Atlanta Falcons don't seem interested in trading Kirk Cousins.

Simply, that doesn't make sense.

They benched Cousins at the end of the season in the hope that Michael Penix Jr. could push their team to the playoffs, and the rookie nearly did. It wasn't a miraculous season from Penix, but it was comparable to — if not better than — what Cousins did as QB1.

We all knew where this was going when the Falcons drafted Penix at ninth overall last year. And we all know where this is going in 2025. When the season starts, Penix will be on the field. And Cousins will land elsewhere.

Why delay the inevitable?

Teams often protest loudest about trading a player before they trade that player. That's why I'm not buying the reports that Cousins isn't on the trade block. I just think the offers haven't yet hit Atlanta's asking price. (Would a high fifth-rounder do it?) Nor do I think the music has stopped playing in the QB version of musical chairs. Aaron Rodgers and the Minnesota Vikings are dragging things out. Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers are waiting.

And so are the New York Giants.

The problem for New York is that Rodgers will likely pick between Minnesota and Pittsburgh. And then Wilson will likely pick between Pittsburgh and Cleveland. And then … what if that leaves the Giants without a quarterback?

New York has the No. 3 overall pick, where it could land Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, as projected in the latest mock draft from FOX Sports' Joel Klatt. (The growing consensus is that Miami QB Cam Ward will go first overall to the Titans.) But there's an issue with Sanders going to New York, and it has nothing to do with Sanders himself. It's about the Giants' leadership, which is entering the season on the hot seat. It's unlikely that Sanders can save the jobs of coach Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen. A rookie's year is often too turbulent to change public opinion.

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I think that's where Cousins comes into play. He might be the answer to the Giants' problems.

I'm not saying it's a no-lose proposition, but I am saying it's the best solution for a desperate franchise with desperate leaders on the verge of losing their jobs.

Cousins is a Hail Mary.

But that's all New York has time for. Sanders is more like a two-minute drive.

Cousins is 36 years old, a year younger than Rams QB Matthew Stafford. Cousins is coming off an Achilles injury in October 2023, but when it comes to recovery, now is about the time he might start looking like himself again. He had rough patches last year, but there were games when he looked like he still has game: against Philly in Week 2, both games against Tampa and a strong performance against Dallas.

There's no doubt that things spiraled in his final five games in Atlanta. Just look at his touchdown-to-interception ratio: 1:9. It makes you wonder why the Falcons didn't bench him sooner. But it's also all you really need to know about whether they'll trade him. They've got to. You can't have him sitting on the bench making $40 million. You trade him now and relieve $2.5 million in cap space or you trade him after June 1 and get $27.5 million in cap savings. Either way, the Falcons have to jettison Cousins for the sake of Penix. No one wins if those two guys are on the same roster.

Player Stats

Kirk Cousins Michael Penix Jr.

3,508 Passing Yards 775

66.9 Completion % 58.1

18 Passing Touchdowns 3

16 Offensive Interceptions 3

88.6 QB Rating 78.9

0 Rushing Yards 11

0.0 Rushing Yards / Attempt 1.6

0 Rushing Touchdowns 1

More Stats More Stats

If traded to New York, Cousins would earn $27.5 million in salary. He'd have Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton and Tyrone Tracy to throw to. And maybe with Cousins aboard, the Giants could convince a few free-agent offensive linemen to head to New York. In the draft, the Giants could take the best available player or, perhaps even better, trade back with a team that wants Sanders. (The Las Vegas Raiders, picking sixth, or the New Orleans Saints, selecting at No. 9, might be in the market.)

I know it doesn't sound amazing for Cousins — or even for the Giants. That's the nature of this phase of the offseason, when Cousins is getting slotted into the last available opening. This is where the musical chairs analogies come up short. The seats are all the same in those games. People are just happy to sit anywhere, because any chair is safe. But in the NFL, every seat is different, and the Giants might just have the worst one to offer. It's hardly safe.

But it's probably more appealing than backing up Penix in Atlanta. It's a starting job, and if Cousins can get assurances that the Giants are not going to draft Sanders third overall (or any other QB in the first round), then he probably wouldn't mind joining an organization committed to him. And the shared desperation from Cousins, Daboll and Schoen could lead to more success than people might expect, even in the NFC East where the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders are loaded with talent.

That's really what the Giants need: more success than people might expect. It's not a lofty goal. It's just a reversal of the brutal trend in the past two seasons.

If the Giants want to surprise people in 2024, they shouldn't take Sanders. They should take the type of passer that Sanders might develop into: Cousins. And they should do what they can to build around him. I like it. I don't love it.

But that's the best Cousins and the Giants are going to get.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

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