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Kirk Cousins was present at the first day of Atlanta Falcons mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, June 10, after skipping voluntary organized team activities earlier this offseason.

Cousins’ appearance was anticipated by Falcons staff, per reports released earlier in the week.

Despite his 13 years of NFL experience and $45 million per year contract (matching two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes), Cousins is on track to play deputy to Falcons sophomore quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 36-year-old veteran has previously expressed interest in being traded to a team he could start for; reports say he had few, if any, serious buyers.

Cousins, a four-time Pro Bowl honoree, signed a four-year, $180 million deal with Atlanta last offseason. A month later, Atlanta drafted Penix, the 2023 Heisman Trophy runner-up, with the eighth overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Unsurprisingly, the Falcons’ looked to Cousins to make their hefty investment worthwhile, naming him the starter ahead of the 2024 season. The Falcons went 4-2 while Cousins threw for 266 yards per game in his first six starts, but Atlanta took a nosedive; it went 3-5 from Weeks 7-15. Penix was named the starter in Week 16; he went 1-2 in the Falcons final three games.

Earlier this year, Cousins said he suffered injuries to his throwing arm in Week 10 and never fully recovered. Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris both said they were unaware of Cousins’ lingering injury issues.

Outside of Penix and Cousins, the Falcons’ other rostered quarterbacks are Emory Jones and Easton Stick.

Jones, who played high school football for Heard County, went undrafted out of Cincinnati in the 2024 NFL Draft but was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as a UDFA. Baltimore released him after the preseason, and he signed with Atlanta in January.

Stick was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers out of North Dakota State in the fifth round of the 2019 draft. He played sparingly as a backup in Los Angeles, going 0-4 in his only starts. He was signed by Atlanta in April.

In case of dire emergency, Atlanta could also consider tight end Feleipe Franks as a depth quarterback option. Franks signed as an undrafted quarterback out of Florida with the Falcons in 2021. He threw one pass for the Falcons that year, an interception, and the team transitioned him to tight end the following offseason. After a season with the Carolina Panthers, Franks rejoined Atlanta when he signed a deal in March.