Atlanta, GA
Falcons Know Kirk Cousins Contract ‘Not Ideal’ for Backup QB
INDIANAPOLIS — The Atlanta Falcons’ outlook on veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins hasn’t changed since the end of the season, but general manager Terry Fontenot’s transparency regarding Cousins’s contract has.
Fontenot said Tuesday at the NFL combine in Indianapolis that Cousins is still the Falcons’ backup amid talks of a potential trade or release when free agency opens March 12.
But Fontenot also acknowledged that keeping Cousins, who will make $27.5 million guaranteed in 2025 and will add another $10 million if he’s on the roster March 17, is far from a quality situation.
“We understand it’s not ideal to have a quarterback at that cap number,” Fontenot said. “Now, when we gave him that contract, the expectation was for him to be the starter at this point, and so that is a good number for a starting quarterback.”
Atlanta gave Cousins a four-year deal worth up to $180 million last March. He was five months removed from having surgery on his torn Achilles, which ultimately didn’t prove overly problematic, he said.
But Cousins, who only spoke to Atlanta media the day after he was benched for rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr., said in an appearance on NFL Network before the Super Bowl he battled right elbow and shoulder injuries from Weeks 11-15.
Cousins said he suffered the injury in a Week 10 loss to the New Orleans Saints, which started a five-game span in which he threw only one touchdown and nine interceptions while Atlanta went 1-4. At the time of his benching, he had tossed an NFL-worst 16 interceptions.
The 36-year-old Cousins appeared on Atlanta’s injury report the week after losing to the Saints, but he was a full participant in the team’s two full practice sessions Thursday and Friday and didn’t have a game designation. He was not listed on the injury report at any point thereafter.
Fontenot and Falcons head coach Raheem Morris each said they were unaware of any additional injury issues Cousins experienced.
For now, however, Cousins is Atlanta’s backup to Penix, who Morris confirmed Tuesday is the team’s starting signal caller now and moving forward — which brings the conversations back to Cousins’s contract.
Fontenot said in his end-of-season press conference Jan. 9 that Atlanta is comfortable with its financial situation at quarterback, a claim he reiterated Tuesday.
“Now that he’s the backup, when we say we’re comfortable, we’re talking about the total funds allocated to the quarterback position, and that’s already baked in,” Fontenot said. “And so it was baked in for him to start at that point, but now he’s a backup.
“Again, he handled himself well at the end of the season, and so when you look at our team, we’re comfortable at this point.”
Fontenot’s point is Atlanta’s raw financial situation hasn’t changed in terms of money spent on the position. No matter whether Cousins is or isn’t on the team, or if he had retained the starting role, the Falcons’ financial commitment at quarterback is the same as it was expected to be last offseason, just with inefficient distribution between Cousins and Penix.
And that, as Fontenot said, is far from ideal for a franchise currently over the salary cap by nearly $7 million as free agency looms.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — After Atlanta hit 96 degrees with a heat index of 102 over the Fourth of July weekend, a City Council member is pushing legislation to formalize how the city responds when extreme heat threatens public health.
Atlanta typically opens cooling centers as temperatures climb, but Councilmember Kelsea Bond said the city lacks a consistent, codified process to ensure the same steps are taken each time extreme heat arrives.
“There’s not something that is cohesive in our code that says this is going to happen this way every single time,” said Michael Julian Bond, Post 1 at-large.
Bond’s proposed resolution would create a citywide heat safety plan. It calls for more cooling centers, expanded outreach to vulnerable residents and using a health-based measure such as HeatRisk to determine what resources are needed based on conditions.
“The many individuals that don’t have working A/C or don’t have adequate air conditioning — we want to make sure they are able to get relief,” Bond said.
Multiple council members have signed on in support, arguing the city needs to prepare for more frequent and intense heat as the climate warms.
“The weather’s not going to get any cooler with global warming, and so we want to be prepared,” Bond said.
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HART COUNTY, Ga. – An Atlanta woman wanted for kidnapping in Maryland was arrested along Interstate 85 in northeast Georgia.
What we know:
Alicia Denise Brown, 37, of Atlanta, was taken into custody during a traffic stop. According to the Hart County Sheriff’s Office, deputies received an alert about the car traveling north on the interstate. Deputies pulled over the vehicle near Exit 177 along with Georgia State Patrol troopers.
A woman and two young children were taken into custody. No one was injured.
The backstory:
Brown is wanted on outstanding kidnapping-related warrants out of Maryland and by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office on felony charges of interference with child custody.
The Baltimore County Police Department wanted Brown on charges stemming from the disappearance of a 10-year-old child who was reported missing in 2019. Maryland officials say they would extradite her back to face charges.
What they’re saying:
“We are thankful for the quick response and teamwork of our deputies, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia State Patrol, and all assisting agencies. Their coordinated efforts resulted in the safe recovery of both children and the successful apprehension of the suspect,” Sheriff Chris Carroll said.
What we don’t know:
It is also unclear how the vehicle was initially spotted or what specific vehicle description triggered the law enforcement alert.
The full details of the charges were not immediately available.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Hart County Sheriff’s Office, who explained how we got it through an official statement from Sheriff Chris Carroll, as well as details provided by the Baltimore County Police Department and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.
TOOMBS COUNTY, Ga. – A 36-year-old Atlanta man was killed in a Fourth of July shooting in southeast Georgia, and the investigation has been turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
What we know:
According to the GBI, Vidalia police officers responded around 3:13 a.m. Saturday to a report of shots fired in the 500 block of East Jenkins Street in Vidalia. When officers arrived, they found Rashad Lamar Lumpkin, of Atlanta, lying in the roadway with multiple gunshot wounds.
Lumpkin was taken by EMS to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Vidalia Police Department requested the GBI investigate the shooting. Authorities said the investigation remains active and ongoing.
What you can do:
Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Eastman at 478-374-6988 or the Vidalia Police Department at 912-537-4123. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online through the GBI’s tip portal or by using the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
Once the investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Middle Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.
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