Kirk Cousins is hoping that the Atlanta Falcons will find a trade suitor for him ahead of the 2025 season, but that does not mean the veteran quarterback is planning to forfeit some of his salary in order to make a point.
Most NFL teams began mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. Several star players across the league — most notably T.J. Watt, Trey Hendrickson and Terry McLaurin — are not planning to attend minicamp as they seek new contracts. Those players will be subjected to fines if they do not attend.
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Cousins will take part in minicamp with the Falcons. One of the reasons for that is that the 36-year-old does not want to be fined.
“Cousins, who has sort of been in and out of the Falcons’ offseason but was there for the start of offseason workouts, will be at mandatory minicamp today,” Garafolo said. “In speaking to a few folks who know Kirk Cousins well both inside and outside the building in Atlanta, the joke that seems to be a common one is that there’s no way Kirk Cousins, as thrifty as he is, despite making hundreds of millions of dollars over his career, is gonna subject himself to $100,000 in fines. So, Cousins will be in the building.”
From @gmfb: While several veterans around the league are willing to take on six figures in fines to make a point during mandatory minicamp, Kirk Cousins will be at the #Falcons’ facility to keep his salary fully intact. pic.twitter.com/1182KHmRmI
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 10, 2025
Cousins signed a 4-year, $180 million contract with Atlanta last offseason that includes $100 million guaranteed. He has notoriously secured deals with substantial guaranteed money throughout his career and has made nearly $300 million on the field.
Cousins also knows that holding out from minicamp probably will not change anything. There are no teams in search of a starting quarterback at the moment, and Cousins cannot force the Falcons into creating a market for him. The only real chance he has of being traded is if a team loses a quarterback to injury ahead of Week 1.
The Falcons seem content to keep Cousins as a backup to Michael Penix Jr. Unless Cousins learns of a team that is interested in him as a starter, his best option is to show up to work in Atlanta and settle into his role as one of the highest-paid backups in NFL history.
