Kirk Cousins is the final NFL quarterback domino left to fall, if it falls at all

It is mandatory minicamp time across the NFL, which means that we are about to get some of our offseason thirst quenched like a little kid running for a Capri-Sun after two straight hours of playing. If you know you know.

What does or does not happen this week will help us bide our time until training camps begin at the end of July and while these are “only” minicamps, they are opportunities to see certain things and have particular questions answered.

Among the things we are wondering are whether or not certain players are going to even show up. Needless to say we here at the Skinny Post, Michael Peterson and RJ Ochoa, are pumped to see what the week brings us.

Let’s do our best to anticipate some of it.

Kirk Cousins is the final bit of quarterback drama left

Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

RJ:

Last week saw the most boring surprise of all time, when Aaron Rodgers finally agreed to join the Pittsburgh Steelers. To his credit he did so prior to this week which means he will participate in the minicamp. Fair is fair.

With the Rodgers situation taken care of that leaves only one quarterback who we pondered the future of at the beginning of the offseason: Kirk Cousins.

The Falcons have stood firm in not releasing Cousins and at this point, why should they? Atlanta is clearly comfortable in the weirdness of this whole situation and if Kirk happens to be a very expensive backup behind Michael Penix then the money is already spent.

But could Cousins find a new home before season’s beginning? At this point that feels unlikely. Who would it even be? Maybe the Indianapolis Colts find themselves in a situation where Anthony Richardson feels incredibly untrustworthy for some reason and they don’t feel confident in Daniel Jones? Outside of that I am struggling to find a team that makes sense.

Michael:

I’m in the same boat as you on this one. There doesn’t seem to be an obvious and inevitable new landing spot for Cousins anywhere in the NFL, but the Colts are a dark horse for his services. Richardson’s continued inability to stay healthy, and Daniel Jones’ inability to be someone other than Daniel Jones, may force the Colts to make a move for the veteran passer in order to avoid what could be a disastrous season in Indy.

Only history will decide if the Falcons played their cards correctly in keeping Cousins on the team while committing to Penix as their new starter. None of it seems like good business and usually these things don’t end well for the team that eats a lot of money on a player who doesn’t actually play a ton.

Nick Chubb is turning down more money elsewhere to join the Texans and I think he’s going to regret it

Michael:

Nick Chubb has had one of the fastest slides downward from NFL stardom to complete afterthought due in part to horrible injury luck over the past two seasons. I doubt many people knew he was still an available free agent until Monday morning when it was reported that he was expected to sign with the Texans this week after passing his physical with the team.

Per reports, Chubb is turning down larger deals elsewhere to join the Texans for what could be his best chance of being on a winning team through the twilight years of his career.

Here’s the thing: I don’t know if the Texans are a place to go for a running back right now. They already have Joe Mixon (who had a resurgence in 2024) and Dameon Pierce (who was pretty good himself not long ago). Houston also traded away their star left tackle this offseason and their attempts at rebuilding the line have been underwhelming, in my opinion.

I’m expecting Mixon and their entire rushing game to regress this season and that doesn’t bode well for Chubb would figure in as the team’s RB1b. If the goal is to win and win alone, then Chubb may end up happy in Houston. If he wants to get back to being a 1,000-yard rusher and also winning, I’m not sure this was the right place for him.

RJ:

For what it’s worth, I definitely don’t think that the Texans are a team worth gambling on. Outside of the issues laid out by Michael they are acting rather mysteriously about C.J. Stroud. That isn’t to say that there is a huge issue here, but the “everything is awesome” vibes from a few years ago seem to have faded.

Ultimately I kind of get it, though. It isn’t like Chubb is a player who can be a workhorse for a team at this point in his career. It makes sense that he would want to be part of a committee to some degree. Consider that he is making this decision in mid-June which is somewhat reflective of how the market seems to view him.

It is certainly unfortunate as at his peak Chubb looked and moved like one of the very best running backs in the league. I hope he finds some of that form again.

The Browns are going to find a way to make at least 3 different headlines

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images

RJ:

It is a shame that the New York Giants were such a disaster that the NFL Films Hard Knocks version that was all about minicamp got cancelled because the Browns were made for it.

People tend to get all up in a tizzy when clips emerge with titles that insinuate a simple pass was something incredible. Give me all of it. I am starving for any and every kind of football action right now. Show me every single bit of Shedeur Sanders, Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel (this was predictable, but he already feels so forgotten) doing whatever during practice.

We all know this already, but Flacco really is the perfect dude to sit in front of this mess. He is as unflappable as they come and has been for almost two decades now.

Two tickets please (because I assume Michael will agree with everything I said).

Michael:

We always like to zig when the other zags when it comes to these topics. However, I don’t know how I could disagree that the Browns were not made for a season of Hard Knocks. Joe Flacco as the elder statesman in the quarterback room would be a hilarious contrast to the youth of both Sanders and Gabriel.

The drama of those two rookie passers would be must-watch television and it would give the audience a chance to decide which “team” they’re on, not unlike when the country was torn asunder by the Team Jacob or Edward debate.

It’s a bit sad that we won’t get the opportunity to go behind the curtain with Cleveland during this offseason, but I guess we just have to continue hating on the Giants for ruining the party for everyone.

Let’s get chaotic and choose which of these long-shot MVP candidates we feel actually has the best chance of taking home the award

Michael:

Based off FanDuel’s current odds for the NFL’s regular season MVP, there’s a six-way tie at +7500 odds between Aaron Rodgers, Bryce Young, Geno Smith, Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr., and J.J. McCarthy. Now these are all long, long odds, but where’s the fun in predicting a MVP winner amongst the favorites? Let’s get crazy and try to justify one of these guys on the back end.

When I look at this group, McCarthy stands out thanks to his elite supporting cast around him. The Vikings offensive line was upgraded immensely this offseason and he still have Justin Jefferson to throw to. If Kevin O’Connell can make the offense as easy as possible for McCarthy (not unlike what he did for Sam Darnold in 2024) then I don’t see how he couldn’t be a dark horse candidate.

If not McCarthy, I like Nix to take a step forward with Sean Payton. He played much better in the second half of the year and helped Denver get into the postseason because of his efficient play. If Nix can start hot and play like he did in those final eight weeks, but all year long in 2025, then I could see him surprise the entire league.

RJ:

If we are truly just throwing out wild things… why not Bryce Young?

Did we forget that Bryce literally won the Heisman Trophy and went No. 1 overall? Have we also forgotten that Dave Canales did an incredible job in helping to resuscitate the career of Baker Mayfield? Also… is the NFC South not very winnable for literally anyone?

It isn’t impossible to believe — I don’t, to be clear but this was Michael’s question — that Bryce takes another step in his third year with all of the chaos of everything finally fully and totally behind him. He has the narrative-driven elements to help in the way that MVP seasons need, particularly with the comeback nature of it all.

I feel so reckless and irresponsible.