Kirk Cousins signs with Falcons: Grading free agent deal, contract - ESPN

Kirk Cousins is headed to the Atlanta Falcons. The veteran quarterback, who has spent the past six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, agreed to a four-year, $180 million deal with $90 million fully guaranteed on Monday. Cousins will join a Falcons offense that includes dynamic playmakers at the skill positions and an expensive offensive line.

Did the Falcons pay too much for Cousins, who is coming off an Achilles tear? Are they now contenders in the NFC? Let's grade the deal.

To determine this grade, I'm taking into account multiple factors, including on-field impact, salary cap implications, Cousins' age and the context of the Falcons' short-and long-term outlook.

The Falcons just fully guaranteed $90 million to a 35-year-old non-elite quarterback coming off an Achilles injury, and yet… I don't hate it.

We'll come back to Cousins himself, but I want to start this with where the Falcons are, because that's why this deal is both palatable and logical. When new Falcons coach Raheem Morris said last month, «If we had better quarterback play last year in Atlanta, I might not be standing here,» that was very much the truth!

The Falcons already have the building blocks for a high win total if they can get strong quarterback play, as they boast two good playmakers in Drake London and Bijan Robinson, a solid pass-protecting offensive line and a defense — led by 2023 free agent acquisition Jessie Bates III — that ranked 12th in expected points added (EPA) per play last season. And critically, they play in a woefully weak division in the NFC South. All of that screams: Go get better play at quarterback now, and that's exactly what they did.

In Cousins, the Falcons have acquired a long-time good-but-not-perfect quarterback. In an