Kirk Cousins’ PFF ranking leaves room for increase

We said that with average quarterback play last season, the Atlanta Falcons made the playoffs and Arthur Smith is still the head coach. The Falcons didn’t get average quarterback play last season.

Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke combined to rank 27th in the NFL in passing efficiency. Enter Kirk Cousins ​​and his 4-year contract worth $180 million. Cousins ​​was the fourth-highest rated quarterback in the NFL before suffering an Achilles injury.

However, according to the latest quarterback rankings from Pro Football Focus (PFF), average is what the Falcons can expect from Cousins ​​in 2024. Trevor Sikkema ranks Cousins ​​No. 15 in the NFL among 32 starters, but he admits he doesn’t like his own ranking.

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“Honestly, that seems too low for Cousins,” Sikkema began. “He has been one of the most successful NFL quarterbacks over the past few years. In his last six seasons, he has not posted an overall season grade lower than 80.0 and has only ‘only one passing score below 80.0 But 2023 showed signs of a slowdown.

“Cousins ​​only played eight games in 2023 and was on track to hit his lowest throwing rate before going down with a torn Achilles. However, he was also on track to hit his lowest throwing rate. lowest turnover-worthy play His adjusted completion percentage was at a career high, but his average depth of target was at a career low. He’s now 36 and just out. from a torn Achilles with a new team in Atlanta He has been incredibly effective so far in his career, and we will see if we can be more aggressive in 2024.

It’s fair to wonder how quickly Cousins ​​can return to his best after injury and adapt to a new team. However, from a touchdown and interception perspective, Cousins ​​is off to his best start in 2023 with 18 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

The Falcons have thrown 17 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 17 games. While there appears to be some symmetry between these numbers, Cousins ​​was better in less than half a season.

Cousins’ contract calls for a salary cap hit of $25 million in 2024 and $40 million in 2025. Those are manageable numbers. His cap hit rises to $57.5 million in 2026, but most of his guaranteed money will be gone by then.

If Cousins ​​only plays at an average level after the 2025 season, the Falcons will usher in the Michael Penix Jr. era.

The Falcons hope Cousins ​​plays much better than average.

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