Ultimate 12 months, the Jimmy Garoppolo contract with the Raiders contained an out for the crew, within the tournament Garoppolo’s foot harm avoided him from passing a bodily earlier than the beginning of the season.
This 12 months, Kirk Cousins defined all through his introductory press convention in Atlanta that he had handed a bodily for the entirety however his Achilles tendon harm, and that he’d must move an Achilles-specific bodily later.
With the Falcons the usage of the 8th general pick out within the draft on quarterback Michael Penix Jr., a query emerged in my impaired and addled mind. What if the Falcons can steer clear of the Cousins contract if he does not move a bodily earlier than a selected time limit?
In contrast to the Raiders in 2023, the Falcons haven’t any out. With one very slender exception.
According to a supply with wisdom of the phrases, Cousins’s $50 million signing bonus calls for the passing of a bodily however particularly excludes the pre-existing Achilles harm — “supplied Participant continues to rehabilitate such pre-existing Proper Achilles harm as required through and underneath the supervision and course of Membership’s Head Group Doctor and Membership’s Head Athletic Teacher.”
So long as Cousins does what the crew physician and head athletic instructor inform him to do in regards to the Achilles harm, the Falcons are at the hook for the whole $50 million.
After all, that does not power the Falcons and Cousins in combination indefinitely. With best $27.5 million in wage because of Cousins in 2025, it would not be onerous to discover a suitor for Cousins if either side come to a decision to make a blank ruin after one season. (Cousins has a no-trade clause.) Whilst the dead-money rate for a pre-June 1 commerce can be $37.5 million, the Falcons would steer clear of $37.5 million in more promises to Cousins. Additionally, in the event that they imagine Penix is in a position after just one 12 months, the reality that they have got their beginning quarterback underneath a rookie deal makes it more straightforward to take in the Cousins cap rate.
That stated, they nonetheless may have paid him $62.5 million for just one season, if he is traded in 2025.
A commerce after 2025 (and earlier than June 1, 2026) would lead to a smaller cap rate of $25 million. Below that state of affairs, the Falcons may have paid Cousins $90 million for 2 years.
All of it comes all the way down to once they come to a decision to turn to Penix. They have got attempted to defuse the placement through suggesting Penix may sit down for 4 or 5 years, which is ridiculous on its face. In reality {that a} pivot to Penix may occur inside of a 12 months or two with out primary contractual headaches for the Falcons.
There is additionally a narrow likelihood that the Falcons may commerce Cousins earlier than the beginning of the 2024 season. If Penix lighting fixtures it up in OTAs, if any other crew loses a beginning quarterback earlier than the common season begins, and if that crew and Cousins come to a decision to get in combination, a commerce after June 1, 2024 would have the similar cap impact as a commerce earlier than June 1, 2025. And with $12.5 million of the Cousins signing bonus due in September 2024 and any other $12.5 million due in December 2024, the brand new crew may comply with pay the cash.
In 2016, the Vikings misplaced Teddy Bridgewater simply earlier than the beginning of the season. The Eagles, who have been making plans to begin Sam Bradford whilst rookie Carson Wentz sat and realized, modified plans briefly when the Vikings introduced a first- and fourth-round pick out for Bradford.
Those don’t seem to be possible results, however they’re imaginable. No less than they are now not not possible. If Penix briefly displays he may also be the man, there are methods the Falcons can boost up the timetable to pivot from Cousins to Penix.
Penix is obviously the long run. The earlier the Falcons could make Penix the prevailing, the they’re going to be someday.