Touchdown Wire’s Jarrett Bailey ranked all 36, yes 36, starting-caliber NFL quarterbacks, including the new rookies on the block who are expected to play in 2024 (sorry, Michael Penix, Jr.). Bailey ranked Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins as the 12th-best quarterback in the NFL and 4th-best quarterback in the NFC, behind only Matthew Stafford (6th), Jordan Love (8th) and Dak Prescott (11th).
Cousins was on pace for nearly 5,000 yards and 38 touchdowns before he tore his achilles because God forbid we have nice things in this world. In an offense that will be very similar to the one he ran in Minnesota, while also having Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, and Drake London, Cousins will thrive and so will the Falcons- even if their draft was historically bad, I mean why are you drafting a quarterback at No. 8 when you just paid a- you know what, I’m not going to rant again.
Your frustration is understood, Jarrett. In Atlanta, we are still coming to grips with the decision ourselves. On to Cousins though, if the Falcons had the 4th-best quarterback last season, this is a sure-fire playoff team.
This is the bet that General Manager Terry Fontenot is making on 2024 and 2025. That Cousins can raise the floor of this team from mediocre to good, if not better than that.
Other notable players on this list as it pertains to the Falcons:
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield (17th)
- New Orleans Saints’ Derek Carr (24th)
- Carolina Panthers’ Bryce Young (32nd)
