The Atlanta Falcons have their quarterback of the future, Michael Penix Jr., ready to go for the 2025 season. However, they still have Kirk Cousins on their roster after signing him to a four-year, $180 million contract last offseason. As trade rumors continue to swirl around Cousins, the Falcons made a move for a quarterback on Monday.

The Saints have over $27 million in cap space and as glaring a need under center as any team in the league. The fourth-rounder included in this trade is the best pick the Falcons can reasonably expect to get in a Cousins trade. Intra-division trades may be rare. But they aren’t unheard of.

After Atlanta benched Cousins late in the 2024 campaign in favor of Penix, despite signing him to a massive four-year, $180 million contract in free agency last offseason, his future with the team immediately became one of the biggest storylines in the league.