Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Nick Mullens

Thursday, July 10, 1:51 PM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins said in an episode of the Netflix series "Quarterback" that he felt "a little bit misled" when the Falcons took Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL draft. It came just after Atlanta signed Cousins to a contract worth at least $100 million guaranteed to be their starter in 2024 and beyond. "I had no reason to leave Minnesota with how much we loved it there if both teams are going to be drafting a quarterback high," Cousins said. The 36-year-old led the team to a 6-3 start before injuring his right shoulder. After that, the Falcons lost four straight games, with Cousins throwing eight interceptions and no touchdowns in that stretch. He was eventually benched in Week 16 for Penix, who heads into 2025 as the unquestioned starter, with Cousins backing him up. Cousins could get traded during training camp, but for now he's useless in fantasy as a backup.

Monday, March 10, 4:55 PM

The Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to terms with free-agent quarterback Nick Mullens on Monday on a two-year, $6.5 million deal with $3 million guaranteed, a source told NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Mullens will be the new backup to Trevor Lawrence in head coach Liam Coen's first year in Duvall. The 29-year-old Mullens will reunite with new Jaguars assistant coach Grant Udinski after the two worked together with the Minnesota Vikings. Mullens spent the last three years in Minnesota, appearing in 13 games (three starts) while throwing for 1,568 yards, eight touchdowns and nine interceptions. He only appeared in four games in relief last year with Sam Darnold having a career year. Mullens will provide veteran backup depth behind Lawrence, though, having appeared in 33 games (20 starts) in his seven years in the NFL with Minnesota, San Francisco and Cleveland.