The quarterback situation in Atlanta has been a disaster for years.

For several years after losing Matt Ryan, the Falcons attempted to win using cheap QBs to give them roster edges at other positions.

In 2022, they drafted Desmond Ridder and sat him on the bench while Marcus Mariota went 5-8 and completed just 61% of his passes.

They then allowed Ridder to finish the season, going 2-2.

Last year, they let Ridder start the season, but he was borderline terrible, throwing just 12 TDs and 12 INTs while going 6-7.

He was so bad Arthur Smith resorted to starting Taylor Heinicke in 4 games, but he went 1-3 and completed only 54% of his passes.

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Kirk Cousins is massive upgrade for Falcons

So Atlanta finally decided to change course and sign Kirk Cousins in free agency to a $180 million deal over four years with $100 million fully guaranteed.

Cousins is a solid, high-floor veteran QB who will be an asset for a Falcons team looking to generate their first winning season since 2017.

It’s hard to put into words how much better Cousins will play compared to what the Falcons got from Ridder last season.

For example, Ridder had 16 passes in goal-to-go situations last season. He threw only two touchdowns to go with two interceptions.

It was simultaneously the worst TD rate AND the worst INT rate in the NFL last season.

In his 13 starts, Ridder had 45 game-killing plays, interceptions, fumbles lost, and sacks taken.

When he had fewer than fewer game-killing plays, the Falcons went 5-2 in those games.

But he had four or more game-killing plays in six of his 13 starts, and the Falcons went 1-5 in those games.

So it may not take much for the Falcons to see success in 2024. Cousins just needs to not shoot himself in the foot as frequently as Ridder did last year.

Among 32 QBs with 500+ attempts in the last two years, Cousins has been much better than Ridder:

  • Cousins: #2 in accuracy, #13 in EPA, #12 in success, #8 in comp%, #10 in TD:INT rate
  • Ridder: #24 in accuracy, #27 in EPA, #21 in success, #23 in comp%, #28 in TD:INT rate

All of this said, Cousins has done a great job in his career of getting paid, but not a great job actually winning playoff games to make a meaningful impact for his teams.

He has just one playoff win in his career, all while receiving these contracts: