Free agency is one of the most important times of the year for the NFL. It changes the upcoming season in many ways: players getting signed, trades occurring, and teams filling holes that could lead them to a Super Bowl. The most important position in the NFL is the quarterback. The QB acts as the team leader and could completely diminish a team’s season if they don’t have the right one in place. During the 2024 free agency, there was one quarterback that many teams were looking at… Kirk Cousins. Cousins is a veteran who has been in the NFL for a long time and was able to bring the Vikings to the playoffs a few times.

One team that is in dire need of a quarterback that has everything else built up is the Falcons. With their young and explosive offense, they could make a run for the division and possibly make some noise in the playoffs. They saw Kirk Cousins as a must need, so they signed him on the first day of free agency with a 4-year, $180 million. $100 million of it being guaranteed meaning if he decided to retire the next day then he would get that money no matter what.

Immediately after his signing, some speculation began. NFL rules allow for agents of players to speak to teams during a negotiating window in the two days before the market officially opens, but players can’t meet or speak with teams during the negotiating window, also referred to as the “legal tampering” period. This is the rule that the Falcons are supposedly breaking as Kirk Cousins signed with the Falcons for what seemed like right away. Kirk Cousins also may have slipped up saying that he met with personnel before hand, which does not look good for the team. 

The punishment plans for the Falcons are to be determined after the draft on April 25th and we’ll see how much this affects their supposed “comeback season”.