Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Geno Smith

Thursday, January 9, 12:26 PM

Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said that the team is comfortable moving forward next year with quarterback Kirk Cousins as the backup to Michael Penix Jr. It's very unlikely that Cousins will be in Atlanta next year as a backup with a $40 million salary cap hit. The more likely outcome this offseason is that the Falcons end up trading Cousins to a team looking for a veteran QB while they find their signal-caller of the future in the draft. If Cousins were to be cut before June 1, he'd carry a $65 million cap hit for 2025. The 36-year-old is also due a $10 million roster cut on March 17, so if he's not traded, Atlanta is expected to cut him before then. Cousins was benched for Penix in Week 16 and ended up being a bust after signing a four-year, $180 million deal last offseason. The four-time Pro Bowler threw for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and a league-high 16 interceptions in his 14 starts.

Monday, January 6, 1:14 PM

When asked if he expects quarterback Geno Smith to return as the starting QB in 2025, Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said on Seattle Sports radio, "Got no reason to say no, so I guess yeah." If Smith is still under contract with the team in mid-March, he'll earn an extra $2 million after hitting three escalators in the win over the division-rival Los Angeles Rams in the Week 18 regular-season finale. While battling injury, Smith went 20-for-27 for 223 yards and a career-high four touchdowns on Sunday to close out his fifth year with the team. His 4,320 passing yards in 2024 were among the top five in the league, but the Seahawks offense never really hit its stride this year, and Smith finished as the QB12 in overall fantasy points. Seattle could save over $30 million by cutting him this offseason, so it's not a foregone conclusion that he'll be back in 2025.