The Atlanta Falcons were missing two notable players when the club kicked off OTAs on Tuesday — quarterback Kirk Cousins and tight end Kyle Pitts. While both players are not required to attend these practices, their situations are notable for different reasons.
Cousins is famously awaiting a trade partner. He signed a four-year, $180 million extension with the Falcons just 15 months ago, but after the emergence of Michael Penix Jr. last season, Atlanta is going to stick with the former No. 8 overall pick under center. Cousins would surely like to start for a team this season. The question is who would trade for him?
As for Pitts, he’s entering the final year of his rookie contract. Does his absence Tuesday signal he’s looking for an extension right now? Maybe a new contract isn’t in the forefront of the 24-year-old’s mind right now, but there’s no getting around the fact this 2025 season is incredibly important for him.
Let’s analyze the situations for these two players.
Kirk Cousins
Cousins surprised many people when he attended the first day of the Falcons offseason program back in April. However, it appears the 36-year-old signal-caller is now switching up his game plan as he awaits a change of scenery. OTAs are of course voluntary, but it’s notable that Cousins was not in the building after previously being in attendance for some of Atlanta’s offseason program.
Cousins went 7-7 as the starter in his one season with Atlanta, and averaged 250.6 passing yards per game while throwing 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions — which tied Baker Mayfield for most in the league. While the Falcons have postured as if Cousins being Penix’s backup in 2025 is a legitimate possibility, ESPN reported last month that both sides recognize their future is not together.
There are several hurdles when it comes to Cousins being traded, and the biggest one is money. Cousins has a total of $37.5 million in guarantees remaining on his contract. The Falcons will have to eat some of that money if he were to be moved. ESPN previously reported the Falcons asked interested teams to pay $20 million of the $37.5 million in guarantees. Naturally, no team was willing to do that.
When it comes to where Cousins could be playing in 2025, there aren’t many logical landing spots. The New Orleans Saints could potentially be in the market for a quarterback following the retirement of Derek Carr, but the Falcons surely wouldn’t trade Cousins to a rival. The Cleveland Browns were long viewed as the favorite to land Cousins given Kevin Stefanski’s familiarity with him, but the Browns selected both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft after trading for Kenny Pickett earlier in the offseason. It would be surprising to see the Browns give up draft capital to add to what is already a crowded room.
What about the Pittsburgh Steelers? They can’t wait around for Aaron Rodgers forever. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said last week that Cousins is “at the very least” on the Steelers’ radar, and that the franchise was interested in acquiring Cousins earlier this offseason. They are a team to keep an eye on.
Kyle Pitts
Pitts, who was selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, averaged a career-low 2.8 receptions per game and a career-low 35.4 receiving yards per game this past season under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. Pitts did catch a career-high four touchdowns, but his 602 receiving yards ranked 13th among all tight ends.
Pitts is set to make $10,878,000 on his fifth-year option this season, but every player in his situation would like long-term security — which also comes with more money. Any time a player misses OTAs while entering a contract year, the question has to be asked: Is this absence contract-related? At this point, it’s unclear.
Rememeber, Pitts put together one of the best seasons by a rookie tight end ever, catching 68 passes for 1,026 yards and one touchdown in 2021. He became the first rookie tight end to cross 1,000 yards receiving since Mike Ditka did so in 1961, but hasn’t crossed 670 receiving yards since.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, PSG’s Georgian artist whose football skills saved his father’s life
As a small boy, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia would sit and wait for the apples to grow.Summers were spent in Tsalenjikha, his family’s hometown, cradled by Georgia’s Caucasus mountains. Between their house and the river was a green swathe, capped at one end by a wide iron gate. It was a perfect football pitch — but for one feature.AdvertisementSince anybody recalled, the gate had been topped with decorative ornaments. Kvaratskehlia’s father, Badri, a professional player himself, had countless footballs burst by its sharp metal. Remembering how he wept with every puncture, thirty years later he warned Khvicha, his second son.Soon after, hearing the thump of ball on metal gate, Badri stepped outside to check if his message had been heeded. But something looked different.Now, each spike was crowned by an apple. If a shot hit it? The ball would rebound harmlessly away. […]
Matheus Cunha by those who knew him growing up: ‘He turned from water into wine’
Perhaps Matheus Cunha and Manchester United were always meant to be.The Brazilian forward, who has been given permission to undergo a medical at Old Trafford before a proposed £62.5million ($83.7m) summer transfer from Wolverhampton Wanderers, was born just hours after one of United’s most famous nights and 18 years later cemented his reputation as a prodigious talent by starring against them.AdvertisementWhile Sir Alex Ferguson and his players were still nursing hangovers from their epic Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich in May 1999, Cunha came into the world in the Brazilian state of Paraiba.By the time he starred for Coritiba against United in the under-19s Dallas Cup in April 2017, football had already taken him thousands of miles from home, and his journey was just beginning.By the age of 14, Cunha had moved almost 2,000 miles to sign for […]
2025 Thunder looking like mirror image of 2015 Warriors as they set sights on first NBA championship
Imagn Images/Getty Images The Oklahoma City Thunder are headed to their first NBA Finals as a franchise since 2012 after eliminating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 124-94, in Game 5 on Wednesday night. OKC will face either the Pacers (who lead the Eastern Conference finals 3-1) or the Knicks in the Finals, where they will set their sights on the first title in Oklahoma City history.The Thunder are heavy NBA title favorites (-575 to win the championship at DraftKings), and let's stress that this isn't a done deal. The Pacers, assuming they eventually finish off the Knicks, are playing lights out right now. But in watching this Oklahoma City run this point, it's impossible to ignore the 2014-15 Warriors vibes that are all over this team. The Stephen Curry-led Warriors won their first Western Conference finals on May 27, 2015 -- 10 years […]
How ‘Slot-ball’ propelled Liverpool to the Premier League title at the first time of asking
Ripping up the work done by Jurgen Klopp was never part of Arne Slot’s plan when he arrived at Liverpool.One of the key factors in the club deciding to appoint the Dutchman as their head coach to follow in Klopp’s footsteps was the similarities in style.“We are going to try to work on what Jurgen left behind and we will see a lot of similar things,” Slot told the club website in his first interview. “But, of course, I bring my own things to the table as well and I think that’s also what is expected of me.”AdvertisementSlot inherited a team that had finished the previous campaign with 82 points. It had title-challenging credentials, but this season he guided them to another level, both individually and collectively, to dominate the rest of the Premier League in style.His achievements were recognised […]
Barcelona’s title-winners – by the early coaches who helped shape them
Barcelona are back on top.This season, Hansi Flick inspired a thrilling young team to win La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana titles. Most satisfyingly for Barca fans, they all came at the expense of their great rivals Real Madrid. Barca reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2019 and were a chaotic tie against Inter away from potentially lifting a third treble in their history.AdvertisementThat was all down to a group of players who have made Barca fans believe again after a turbulent few years — many of whom are only just getting started.We spoke to some of their first coaches to hear about this group of champions’ early years in football…PedriAppearances this season: 59First club: Tegueste (Tenerife)I joined Tegueste’s youth ranks as a coach in 2008, and a year later, I was managing […]
How would Martin Zubimendi fit in Arsenal’s midfield?
While talk of Arsenal signing a striker has dominated press conferences, social media and the stands at the Emirates, the club knew that could not be the only order of business this summer.That is why their long-standing interest in Martin Zubimendi saw them start actively pursuing a deal in January.A holding midfielder may not be the shiniest of new toys, but as the closing weeks of the season have shown, Zubimendi could be just as valuable as a new centre-forward.Arsenal’s search for a midfield threeArsenal’s midfield has endured a couple of false starts since the departure of Granit Xhaka in 2023. Declan Rice and Kai Havertz arrived that summer, with the expectation they would complete a midfield three with Martin Odegaard. Havertz struggled to shine in midfield, and was soon moved to centre-forward, which saw the midfield evolve to include Thomas […]
Related
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, PSG’s Georgian artist whose football skills saved his father’s life
As a small boy, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia would sit and wait for the apples to grow.Summers were spent in Tsalenjikha, his family’s hometown, cradled by Georgia’s Caucasus mountains. Between their house and the river was a green swathe, capped at one end by a wide iron gate. It was a perfect football pitch — but for one feature.AdvertisementSince anybody recalled, the gate had been topped with decorative ornaments. Kvaratskehlia’s father, Badri, a professional player himself, had countless footballs burst by its sharp metal. Remembering how he wept with every puncture, thirty years later he warned Khvicha, his second son.Soon after, hearing the thump of ball on metal gate, Badri stepped outside to check if his message had been heeded. But something looked different.Now, each spike was crowned by an apple. If a shot hit it? The ball would rebound harmlessly away. […]
Matheus Cunha by those who knew him growing up: ‘He turned from water into wine’
Perhaps Matheus Cunha and Manchester United were always meant to be.The Brazilian forward, who has been given permission to undergo a medical at Old Trafford before a proposed £62.5million ($83.7m) summer transfer from Wolverhampton Wanderers, was born just hours after one of United’s most famous nights and 18 years later cemented his reputation as a prodigious talent by starring against them.AdvertisementWhile Sir Alex Ferguson and his players were still nursing hangovers from their epic Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich in May 1999, Cunha came into the world in the Brazilian state of Paraiba.By the time he starred for Coritiba against United in the under-19s Dallas Cup in April 2017, football had already taken him thousands of miles from home, and his journey was just beginning.By the age of 14, Cunha had moved almost 2,000 miles to sign for […]
2025 Thunder looking like mirror image of 2015 Warriors as they set sights on first NBA championship
Imagn Images/Getty Images The Oklahoma City Thunder are headed to their first NBA Finals as a franchise since 2012 after eliminating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 124-94, in Game 5 on Wednesday night. OKC will face either the Pacers (who lead the Eastern Conference finals 3-1) or the Knicks in the Finals, where they will set their sights on the first title in Oklahoma City history.The Thunder are heavy NBA title favorites (-575 to win the championship at DraftKings), and let's stress that this isn't a done deal. The Pacers, assuming they eventually finish off the Knicks, are playing lights out right now. But in watching this Oklahoma City run this point, it's impossible to ignore the 2014-15 Warriors vibes that are all over this team. The Stephen Curry-led Warriors won their first Western Conference finals on May 27, 2015 -- 10 years […]
How ‘Slot-ball’ propelled Liverpool to the Premier League title at the first time of asking
Ripping up the work done by Jurgen Klopp was never part of Arne Slot’s plan when he arrived at Liverpool.One of the key factors in the club deciding to appoint the Dutchman as their head coach to follow in Klopp’s footsteps was the similarities in style.“We are going to try to work on what Jurgen left behind and we will see a lot of similar things,” Slot told the club website in his first interview. “But, of course, I bring my own things to the table as well and I think that’s also what is expected of me.”AdvertisementSlot inherited a team that had finished the previous campaign with 82 points. It had title-challenging credentials, but this season he guided them to another level, both individually and collectively, to dominate the rest of the Premier League in style.His achievements were recognised […]
Barcelona’s title-winners – by the early coaches who helped shape them
Barcelona are back on top.This season, Hansi Flick inspired a thrilling young team to win La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana titles. Most satisfyingly for Barca fans, they all came at the expense of their great rivals Real Madrid. Barca reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2019 and were a chaotic tie against Inter away from potentially lifting a third treble in their history.AdvertisementThat was all down to a group of players who have made Barca fans believe again after a turbulent few years — many of whom are only just getting started.We spoke to some of their first coaches to hear about this group of champions’ early years in football…PedriAppearances this season: 59First club: Tegueste (Tenerife)I joined Tegueste’s youth ranks as a coach in 2008, and a year later, I was managing […]
How would Martin Zubimendi fit in Arsenal’s midfield?
While talk of Arsenal signing a striker has dominated press conferences, social media and the stands at the Emirates, the club knew that could not be the only order of business this summer.That is why their long-standing interest in Martin Zubimendi saw them start actively pursuing a deal in January.A holding midfielder may not be the shiniest of new toys, but as the closing weeks of the season have shown, Zubimendi could be just as valuable as a new centre-forward.Arsenal’s search for a midfield threeArsenal’s midfield has endured a couple of false starts since the departure of Granit Xhaka in 2023. Declan Rice and Kai Havertz arrived that summer, with the expectation they would complete a midfield three with Martin Odegaard. Havertz struggled to shine in midfield, and was soon moved to centre-forward, which saw the midfield evolve to include Thomas […]
Be the first to leave a comment