The quarterback is expected to take on the role of backup quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons in the upcoming season. He would be paid handsomely for doing so.

Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons is actually an expensive misunderstanding.

After several weak performances, the quarterback was benched in Week 16 of last season, with rookie Michael Penix taking over at the playmaker position.

For Terry Fontenot, the Falcons’ general manager, the 36-year-old veteran signed last year is not a mistake.

On the sidelines of the NFL Combine, Fontenot reaffirmed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper on Tuesday that he now sees Cousins as a backup.

“Kirk is a great guy and a great support for Mike. We are very comfortable using him as a backup,” Fontenot had already stated earlier this year.

Cousins would be an extremely expensive backup

The problem with this is that Cousins is entering the second year of a monstrous four-year, $180 million contract. If he remains as a backup in Atlanta, he will be due $27.5 million in base salary alone. If Cousins is still with the Falcons on March 17, the franchise will have to pay him another $10 million guaranteed through 2026.

That’s a lot of money, even by NFL standards and in the overheated quarterback market. Especially if Cousins is only the number two behind Penix.

But maybe the Falcons have this quarterback market in mind. It’s quite possible that in the fall some teams will be looking for an experienced playmaker.

Then the Falcons could maybe still get their expensive backup off the payroll via trade. So showing appreciation for “Captain Kirk” could also be part of a negotiation strategy.