Cousins was later placed on the 60-day IL before Opening Day with a right elbow flexor strain, and his rehab was initially shut down for a few days in mid-May after battling pectoral discomfort.

A former NFL player shares his honest opinion about the Atlanta Falcons' quarterback situation between Michael Penix and Kirk ...

Unfortunately, it came back to bite the team because Cousins felt, rightfully, that he didn’t owe the team anything. He did what was best for him when it came to his injury.

While Cousins appeared on the team's Week 11 injury report, he was limited for only one practice session due to a "shoulder/elbow" injury before returning. Something was clearly off with him, though.

Again, there is no tragedy here. Cousins has been paid $294.2 million to play professional football, more than all but five other players in history, for a career that includes one playoff win.