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Stop me if I sound like a broken record, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are *still* waiting on an answer from veteran free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
And the odds of him playing in Pittsburgh decrease each day he remains unsigned, as speculation now is that he may just sit out 2025 in anticipation of a new opportunity in 2026, or he may just retire altogether.
But for those who subscribe to the notion that Kirk Cousins would be a better option, no news is good news.
While the Atlanta Falcons continue to say they’re keeping Cousins to play behind last year’s first-round draft pick, Michael Penix Jr., their lack of movement on Cousins’ contract may say otherwise.
Cousins’ contract with the Falcons has a provision allowing the team to restructure his deal whenever they want. That would create a little over $20 million in cap space for the team. But if they do so, it reduces his salary from $27.5 million to $1.255 million and pays the difference as a bonus, spreading it out over five years.
So if they’re going to kee him, why haven’t they done that yet? Who doesn’t need an extra $20.996 million?
Pro Football Talk explains why.
“If they’re serious about keeping Cousins for 2025, it would make sense to create another $20 million in cap space. If they’re thinking about trading him, it would make no sense; not only would they pay him a $26.245 million signing bonus (instead of sending his $27.5 million salary to a new team) but they would also absorb a much larger cap hit when trading him.
“While it’s not a certainty that the Falcons would have restructured the Cousins contract if they absolutely were keeping him for 2025, the chances of a restructuring are nil, if they’re thinking about trading him.”
But what of Cousins’ no-trade clause?
Related: Steelers QB Target Could ‘Sit Out’ 2025 per Insider
He would almost certainly waive it if it meant getting to play somewhere vs. sitting on the bench behind Penix Jr. for $1.255 million next season.
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Related: Steelers Could Find Quarterback Solution with Ex Eagles First-Round Pick
