Kirk Cousins had options in free agency, but one of the voices that helped him land with the Falcons came from an unlikely source: Saints legend Drew Brees.
Speaking at his introductory press conference with his new team, Cousins explained that Brees' endorsement of current Falcons GM Terry Fontenot went a long way in that process. He ultimately signed a 4-year, $180 million deal at the start of the free agency period.
"I called Drew Brees and I said, Drew, I can’t talk to teams, I can talk to you, and you worked with Terry for 15 years, you know, talk to me about him," Cousins said. "And Drew just raved about him, about his football knowledge, and I think it shows in the roster he’s already built here. And then also got a lot of positive feedback on [team owner Arthur Blank] and I just started putting the pieces together the best I could, and I really liked what I was learning.”
The Falcons are also being investigated for tampering in the signing of Cousins, according to a report from ESPN's Dan Graziano, though it's unclear what potential violations the NFL is reviewing.
The working understanding between Brees and Fontenot certainly wasn't understated. A Tulane alum, Fontenot joined the Saints as a scout and stayed in that role for 9 years before advancing to the role of scouting director. He was elevated to the assistant general manager and director of pro personnel role in 2020, and was picked off to be the Falcons GM prior to the 2021 season, the same offseason when Brees called it a career after 15 seasons.
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The Falcons have struggled to three consecutive 7-10 records since Fontenot took over, but his work has largely been praised. He also hasn't been shy about mining his Saints roots in the process. His latest big swing comes with Cousins, and that certainly carries a fair bit of risk. Cousins has been statistically impressive well into his 30s, but he's coming off a torn achilles and will be 36 before he ever starts a game for Atlanta. Cousins also carries a 1-4 career playoff record, though that lone win was a memorable one, coming in overtime at the Superdome with Drew Brees on the opposing sideline.
The race for the NFC South will certainly be an interesting one to watch, with the Bucs, Falcons and Saints each looking to a veteran in their second or third career stop and veteran laden rosters. The Saints and Bucs each finished 9-8 last season, with Tampa winning the tiebreaker and advancing to the divisional round with a win over the Eagles. The Falcons, meanwhile, have not had a winning record in any season since 2017.