Kirk Cousins Emerges as Potential Trade Candidate Amid Falcons' Quarterback Dynamics
As the NFL trade deadline approaches on November 4, 2025, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has resurfaced in trade discussions, with the New York Jets identified as a potential destination. The Jets, currently struggling with a 0-7 record and quarterback issues involving Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor, may look to acquire a veteran presence like Cousins to stabilize their offense.
Cousins, 37, signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons in 2024 but was benched in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. Despite his current backup role, Cousins' experience and leadership could be valuable to a team like the Jets, seeking a seasoned quarterback to guide their offense.
However, any potential trade is complicated by Cousins' substantial contract, which includes a $57.5 million cap hit in 2026 and 2027. The Falcons may need to absorb some of this salary to facilitate a trade, which could impact the feasibility of such a move.
For the Falcons, trading Cousins could free up cap space and provide an opportunity to evaluate Penix as the long-term starter. However, the team would need to weigh the benefits of moving Cousins against the potential risks of relying solely on a rookie quarterback.
As the trade deadline nears, the situation remains fluid, and teams like the Jets may intensify their efforts to acquire a veteran quarterback. For now, Cousins' future with the Falcons remains uncertain, with the possibility of a trade depending on negotiations and salary considerations.
Lions Lose Veteran Linebacker Immediately After He Returns From Injury
The Detroit Lions waited three weeks to get veteran linebacker Zach Cunningham back after a serious injury, but now he will be gone for at least a month — and potentially the entire season.
The team placed Cunningham on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury in last week’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cunningham had just returned from a three-week absence for another hamstring injury, and the latest development will put his season in doubt.
Lions Lose Key Depth
Cunningham had been knocked out of last weekend’s 24-9 win over the conference-leading Buccaneers, ruled out to return with a hamstring injury. As Jeff Risdon of USA Today’s Lions Wire noted, the injury will take a key special teams and situational defender from the roster.
“There is no indication if Cunningham, who plays primarily on special teams but has also worked in short-yardage and red zone packages throughout the season, will be able to return in 2025,” Risdon wrote. “The Lions facility is closed to and staff are off until next week. For the year, the 30-year-old has seven tackles and one TFL.”
Cunningham came to the Lions as a free agent this offseason, adding a veteran presence to the linebacking corps. The 30-year-old has appeared in 106 games with 86 starts in his career, making 716 total tackles.
He had a light role in Detroit this season, appearing in four games with seven total tackles.
Backups Come Through in the Secondary
The Lions have already taken a number of hits to their defense, especially in the secondary where the team has already lost several cornerbacks to injury and had safety Brian Branch serve a one-game suspension for sparking a skirmish at the end of the team’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The team utilized what head coach Dan Campbell called its “Who?” secondary against the Buccaneers, holding the dangerous offense to just nine points.
“I knew we were going to challenge them and do more than we did last week,” Campbell said, via The Associated Press. “But that’s a good quarterback over there, and they’ve been playing good football. I had confidence, but nine points?”
The Lions relied heavily on reserves Rock Ya-Sin, Nick Whiteside, Arthur Maulet, Erick Hallett, and Thomas Harper against the Buccaneers. NFL.com reporter Kevin Patra noted that the collection of backups played “with their hair on fire” against the Buccaneers, taking an aggressive approach that left quarterback Baker Mayfield befuddled.
Campbell said he called on the group to take on an aggressive approach and they delivered, not getting overcome by the challenge of facing one of the NFL’s top teams in primetime.
“That’s what’s expected here,” Campbell said. “I’ve said it before, you get in there, you don’t have to be perfect, you just challenge and you compete, and we will help you and the guys around you will help you.
“I love the fact the game didn’t seem too big for those guys. That was Harper’s and Hallett’s first start. I thought it wasn’t too big for them. They got in there and competed and that’s a great sign.”
