What if the Falcons had let Kirk Cousins compete for the quarterback job?

“It’s kind of like you’ve got to earn your way,” Cousins said Wednesday. “That’s why people talk to me when I went to Minnesota about, oh, you got a fully guaranteed deal. And I’m like, well, it’s kind of how the NFL works, right? I mean, if it’s not guaranteed, then it’s not guaranteed. So that’s why back in 2018, we tried to negotiate the deal we did, because you understood that that’s how NFL contracts work.”

So, Cousins knows when the guaranteed money is paid out, the team has options.

“Well, I’ve played a lot of years on expiring contracts, probably more than most quarterbacks in the league who have played a lot,” Cousins said. “So, I’ve kind of lived it. You understand that (and) you just focus on here and now being in the present (because) you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

He contended that he’ll know in February or March and noted that this is mid-December.

Cousins lost his job last season after playing with an injury and throwing interceptions at an alarming rate. He led the NFL with 16 interceptions last season.

For some reason, the Falcons elected not to play their starters in the exhibition games this year and didn’t allow Cousins to compete for the position with Michael Penix Jr. He got “Wally Pipped” and lost his position to an injury.

Cousins returned to the starting lineup after Penix suffered a torn ACL in his left knee Nov. 16. Cousins has gone 2-3 as a starter this season and will lead the Falcons (5-9) against the Cardinals (3-11) at 4:05 p.m. Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

“None of those things are taken lightly, particularly when you’re talking about that position,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “Let’s go back to last year when he lost the job. That was a hard decision to make in that moment.”

Just weeks after signing Cousins, the Falcons drafted Penix with the eighth overall pick in the draft. Cousins has said he felt “a little bit misled” by the Falcons.

“You made (the decision), Michael went out, played really well (last season),” Morris said. “You go into an offseason, and you can say it’s a competition, but it’s not. Those guys are going out there playing against each other. They both played really well. We got a chance to watch it in training camp. We got a chance to watch it throughout the practices.”

Cousins acknowledged being injured last season and not wanting to lose his job to Penix. He spoke to owner Arthur Blank and essentially asked for a trade. There wasn’t really a market for Cousins and his hefty contract.

So, the Falcons paid the appropriate bonuses and declared him their backup quarterback.

“Then you start the season, and then Michael gets hurt, and Kirk has to go in, and he’s done a nice job,” Morris said. “I’m not shocked by Kirk going to do a really nice job. That’s what he was brought here to do. That’s what he was brought here to play like.”

Cousins has completed 114 of 182 passes (62.6%) for 1,218 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions this season. He has a passer rating of 86.3.

Cousins was coming off an Achilles surgery before he suffered elbow and shoulder injuries in a Week 10 hit against the Saints last season.

“He’s got his confidence back,” Morris said. “Got a lot of stuff back. He feels a lot better, playing a lot better, playing a lot faster, second year in the system for him. He looks good, and I’m extremely proud of him. The guys around him are playing well. He’s playing well. He’s playing efficient.”

The 373 yards passing against the Bucs was Cousins highest mark since he set the franchise record of 509 yards passing Oct. 3, 2024, 18 games ago.

“Being able to move the ball down the field efficiently when we don’t get penalties has been something that’s been happening for us really throughout the course of the year,” Morris said. “Especially the last two weeks, three weeks, so to speak.”

Would Penix, who’s started 12 games and has posted a 4-8 record, have been able to lead the Falcons back from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit against the Bucs?

“I would say Kirk is just playing well,” Morris said. “I don’t want to compare the two because he’s playing so well. He’s going out, playing well. He’s taking ownership of the offense. He’s taking ownership of what he’s doing.”

The Falcons seem to respect that Cousins is a professional and that he’s leading the team down the stretch of a tough season.

“He has his process of how he gets there, and he’s done a nice job of doing that, so I don’t want to compare those guys because they both have a really good process,” Morris said. “They both have done a nice job going out there, getting stuff done.”

Penix is out for nine to 12 months.

But given the Falcons’ unconventional approach to the quarterback position, there’s no clear-cut option. To avoid a post-June 1 designation, the Falcons could negotiate an extension with Cousins. However, that seems unlikely given that he’s already said that he felt “misled” by the organization by the drafting of Penix.

“Everything is on the table,” Morris said.

Penix, while he set the franchise record for most passing yards in his first four games (1,035 to Michael Vick’s 891), hasn’t set the world on fire.

“We’ve had moments where (Penix) has looked great, a la New England when him and (wide receiver) Drake (London) had that connection going,” Morris said. “Then we’ve seen a very similar thing happen just last week with Kyle (Pitts) and Kirk. It was awesome. You just want to get more consistency with that going. Get those guys out there at the same time (and) get those guys going like that all the time.”

Could the Falcons figure out a way to keep Cousins and let him compete with Penix? Or will they reset the deck in the never-ending quest to find Matt Ryan’s replacement?

The plot has thickened.