Kirk Cousins and Jerry Jones (Photos via Getty Images)
A top NFC team has been floated as a potential trade destination for Kirk Cousins in the event that the Atlanta Falcons decide to move on from their $100 million man next year.

The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal worth $180 million in free agency, with $100 million guaranteed. Just when it looked like Atlanta had settled on Cousins as their long-term answer at QB, they stunned the world by drafting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 selection.

Naturally, some fans and analysts wonder if Atlanta will dump Cousins after just one year. After all, it’d be strange to draft Penix Jr. that early with the idea that he won’t start until after Cousins’ contract expires, when the former will be 28 years of age.

K.D. Drummond of USA Today’s Cowboys Wire site looked at possible replacements for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who’s entering the final year of his contract. One of Drummond’s targets for Jerry Jones and company was none other than Cousins:

“Cousins’ contract is huge, they guaranteed $100 million, but that doesn’t make him untradable. In fact, the team could carve out around $2.5 million in space in 2025 were they to deal him next offseason, and then be free of all future obligations.

He’d probably be relatively cheap, compensation wise, and the Cowboys wouldn’t be committing to anything beyond the 2025 season, as that’s the only remaining guaranteed base salary, and it’s a pretty affordable $27.5 million with no roster bonus.”

The Cowboys’ brass has emphasized that they want to extend the soon-to-be 31-year-old Prescott, but it’s also a bit noteworthy that the two sides still haven’t reached an agreement on a new deal as OTAs draw closer.

Hypothetically speaking, a Cousins trade makes sense for Dallas since they’re in win-now mode with the likes of CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs in their primes. And though he’s five years older than Prescott, Cousins would cost less money than No. 4.

Kirk Cousins Can Put All The Trade Rumors To Rest

The Falcons may have used a first-round pick on Penix, but ultimately, it all comes down to how Cousins performs in Atlanta.

If he performs at a superstar-like level and the Falcons are in Super Bowl contention, they’ll have no reason to give Penix the starting job. If Cousins doesn’t live up to that hefty contract, however, then the Falcons won’t hesitate to make a switch.

Kirk Cousins, and nobody else, will determine how the long-term QB situation plays out in Georgia.