One of the major dominoes in the quarterback market has fallen with QB Kirk Cousins reportedly set to sign with the Atlanta Falcons on a four-year deal, per Mike McCartney on X via Mike Garafolo. Today marks the first day of the legal tampering period of free agency, so the contract will not be made official until the start of the new league year on Wednesday.
Prior to the pending addition of Russell Wilson to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the quarterback market was of the highest interest to the team. Cousins has been linked to the Falcons for weeks now, but the Minnesota Vikings were also reportedly in play to try to retain his talents. Now that he is headed to Atlanta, the quarterback market should start to fall in place. The contract is for four years, $180 million, per Tom Pelissero on X.
Some had linked Cousins to the Steelers, as they did with every other available quarterback, but his contract value tells you all you need to know. The Steelers weren’t going to make that kind of move.
There aren’t that many true openings anymore. Baker Mayfield re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Pittsburgh Steelers are set to sign Wilson, and Cousins is headed to Atlanta. The Vikings now become a hot landing place for any remaining quarterbacks.
One of the biggest names remaining at the quarterback position is Justin Fields, whom many linked to the Steelers and the Falcons. Now that both of those teams have their guy, the Vikings will likely become the top focus for Fields, who will need to be traded as he is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The soft market for Fields likely just got even weaker with less logical suitors remaining in the league.
Could that change the Bears’ draft plans for the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft? Probably not, but it will be fascinating to see what kind of compensation Fields fetches in return. Especially with how many people linked him to the Steelers over the last two months.
The Steelers will be playing the Falcons on the road this year, so they will likely play against Cousins should he remain healthy.
Cousins spent the last six seasons with the Vikings after his first six with the Washington Commanders. Like Wilson, he is 35 years old. That used to be when quarterbacks would start to wind down their careers, but players like Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, and others have continued playing for years beyond that.
