This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Goooood morning, Winners! Thanks so much for reading the Morning Win today. We appreciate you taking the time here. I hope you had an excellent Monday.
You know who definitely did? Kirk. Freakin’. Cousins. That dude struck gold. Again. I have no idea how he continues to get away with this.
Cousins signed a four-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons worth up to $180 million with a $100 million guarantee. That man is doing the Bankhead Bounce all the way to the literal bank. He cashed out. Again. Somehow, man.
Everybody in the NFL should fire their agent and hire Cousins’ at this point. Mike McCartney is a legend at this point. This man has earned $331 million (and counting!) through his 12-year tenure in the league. It’s ridiculous.
He’s played chicken with so many front offices. He was franchise-tagged by the Commanders twice and somehow survived. He parlayed that into a fully guaranteed deal with the Vikings, ending with him tearing his Achilles. Even after that devastating injury, he still rises with pockets stuffed like piñatas.
It’s inspiring, really. Especially when you consider he’s been mediocre to solid every step of the way. He’s made nearly as much as Aaron Rodgers in his career while not being anywhere near as good. Cousins has only started in four playoff games in his career. He’s won one. And he’s lost to a team with Daniel Jones on the other side.
Atlanta doesn’t care, man. The Falcons have their QB — debilitating injury and all.
Look, I know this probably sounds like I’m hating. But I’m not! I promise! I get it. Here’s our Christian D’Andrea and Cory Woodroof explaining the why here:
“Cousins is a credible quarterback. He gets an offense capable of providing him the same caliber artillery the Vikings did in 2023. He should be able to pilot this team back to the postseason.”
Just being credible at the highest-paid position in the NFL gets you so far. Honestly, I’m rooting for him. Being just perfectly OK and getting the most money is simply the American dream.
Go, Kirk, go.
Meanwhile, in Chicago…
The quarterback carousel is still going round and round.
At this point, it seems pretty clear that the Bears are planning on taking Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in the draft. But does anyone know what Chicago is doing with Justin Fields?
RELATED: Williams goes first in our latest mock draft from Christian D’Andrea
The dude is in NFL limbo right now. It’s clear his current team doesn’t want him. The two rumored suitors in the Steelers and Falcons picked up seasoned veteran options at QB in free agency. So what now? That’s the question. And, as Robert Zegklinski writes here, it’s getting pretty hard to imagine what’s coming:
“Fields had long been rumored as one of the Falcons’ top trade targets. But then Cousins — a superior player — became available, and Atlanta could not reasonably pass up on the opportunity. Throw in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ addition of Russell Wilson, and it’s starting to get really hard to imagine what Fields’ next NFL home will be.”
The Bears very clearly have a price set on what they believe Fields is worth on the trade market. But it’s also clear the rest of the NFL doesn’t see Fields in the same way.
I don’t know what happens next, but I hope this ends soon. This process has been so painful to watch.
READ MORE: Five options for Justin Fields moving forward
Hard work pays off
Jamahl Mosley just cashed in with the Magic. The head coach just signed a four-year contract extension to stay in Orlando, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports, keeping him with the team through the 2027-28 season.
This is very well deserved. The Magic had been one of the laughingstocks of the NBA for years. But under Mosley, Orlando has improved its win total each year in since 2021, including this year, when the team already won 37 games. The Magic are the East’s No. 5 seed and have an outside shot at a home playoff game this year.
When Orlando hired Mosley, no one questioned whether he could be good. After being on the Mavericks bench behind Rick Carlisle, he was clearly ready to be a head coach. It was just a matter of whether the Magic were organized enough to be competitive.
We’ve got that answer now. Mosley has earned this.
Quick hits: Your big NFL free agent tracker … Our latest NBA MVP ladder … and more
— Christian D’Andrea has the top 102 NFL free agents and where they’ve all signed for you here.
— Jayson Tatum’s MVP case doesn’t look great right now. But did it ever really? Robert Zeglinski has more here.
— Shaq praised Angel Reese for not getting into South Carolina’s and LSU’s fracas. Meghan Hall has more.
— Victor Wembanyama getting dunked on is even spectacular. This guy, man. Charles Curtis has more.
— Here’s Christian with the 10 best free agents available on day 2 of NFL free agency’s tampering period.
— Robert has your winners and losers from free agency so far here.
That’s all, folks! Thanks so much for reading this morning. Have a fantastic Tuesday. Let’s chat again tomorrow. Until then! Peace.
-Sykes ✌️