FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons are ready to move forward with one of the most expensive backup quarterbacks in NFL history, according to the team's general manager.

The Falcons benched quarterback Kirk Cousins in Week 16 after a stretch of five games with nine interceptions and just one touchdown pass. Rookie Michael Penix Jr., who was slated to be the quarterback of the future, was thrust into the starting role over the final three weeks of the season and performed well, though the team missed the playoffs with an 8-9 record.

Cousins signed with the Falcons in March on a four-year, $180 million deal with essentially $90 million guaranteed over the first two years. Penix, who was drafted eighth overall in April, will be the Falcons' starting quarterback going into 2025 and beyond.

Where does that leave Cousins and his contract? Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said the team is willing to keep him on for another season as Penix's No. 2.

"Kirk is a great man and he's been great support for Mike, a great teammate, great support for everybody in the building, so we're very confident moving forward with him as the backup," Fontenot said during a news conference Thursday.

Regarding the cap hit and holding on to a quarterback on the bench who performed well as a starter for nine weeks, Fontenot said the Falcons had already allocated for Cousins' money being on the books as the No. 1.

Fontenot said the expectation was "to get high-level quarterback play for two seasons."

"We understand that that didn't happen," Fontenot said. "Nobody was happy to make the switch at that time. ... So now what happens is we had to accelerate that plan and go to Mike earlier and yet the allocation of the quarterback position -- the cap allocation -- is we're eighth in the league.

"That's what we planned for with Kirk as the starter. He's not the starter anymore, but we're very comfortable moving forward with him as the backup."

Fontenot added that Cousins was healthy, and his steep falloff in performance had nothing to do with his comeback from a torn Achilles in 2023.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported last month that the expectation around the league was that the Falcons would cut Cousins before March 17, when Cousins has a $10 million roster bonus due. Fontenot said Thursday that the report was unfounded.

If the Falcons released Cousins before the start of the 2025 league year (March 12), they would get hit with $65 million in dead money, coming from his fully guaranteed base salary of $27.5 million and $37.5 million in remaining proration, per Roster Management System. If they do it with a post-June 1 designation, the dead money would spread over the 2025 and 2026 season -- $40 million in 2025 and $25 million in 2026.

Fontenot's comments could be construed as posturing for a potential trade. Cousins has a no-trade clause. If Atlanta traded him, the team would be on the hook for the $37.5 million of remaining proration, while his fully guaranteed $27.5 million base salary would transfer to his new team. There's also a likelihood that Atlanta would have to eat some of that $27.5 million in a deal.

Regarding a potential trade of Cousins, Fontenot said, "We will take those things as they come."

"Everyone would have to be good with it, from his camp, his supporters, [Cousins' agent] Mike McCartney, Kirk Cousins, us, the other team," Fontenot said. "There's a lot of layers to that and we'll take those as they come."

McCartney didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from ESPN on Thursday.

Fontenot said he didn't want to divulge the conversations he and the team have had with Cousins about being Penix's backup in 2025.

"We'll keep those discussions private as we move forward, but I just want to be clear that we're very comfortable with [Cousins] being the backup," Fontenot said.

This week's debut of the TGL indoor golf league drew nearly a million viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen numbers reported Thursday by Front Office Sports.

Even though league co-founders Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were not in action, Tuesday night's broadcast attracted an average of 919,000 viewers during the 9-11 p.m. ET time slot.

To put that in perspective, that is a larger audience than any LIV Golf broadcast on The CW in 2023 and 2024, and also larger than last week's PGA Tour season opener (The Sentry) on the Golf Channel and NBC, according to Sports Media Watch.

During the same time window last year on ESPN, a Duke-Pittsburgh men's college basketball game drew 717,000 viewers.

Tuesday night's initial 15-hole TGL match saw The Bay Golf Club defeat New York Golf Club 9-2 at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Woods and McIlroy both attended the match and joined ESPN play-by-play announcer Matt Barrie in the booth.

The first match in the six-team TGL that features Woods will happen when his Jupiter Links Golf Club takes on Los Angeles Golf Club on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. McIlroy's Boston Common Golf will face Woods' team on Jan. 27.

The 15-match regular season runs through March 4, followed by the playoffs later that month.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers was ruled out for the Baltimore Ravens' wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said after Thursday's practice.

Flowers, who is the Ravens' leading receiver, injured his right knee in Saturday's regular-season finale. He did not practice all week.

"We'll see how it looks next week," Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh said it would be a group effort to absorb the loss of Flowers.

Last week, Flowers became the first Ravens player to reach the Pro Bowl as a wide receiver. He leads the Ravens with 74 receptions and 1,059 receiving yards and also has four touchdown catches.

LOS ANGELES -- The NBA postponed the Los Angeles Lakers' home game against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area.

It marks the second straight day that a game slated to be played in downtown Los Angeles has been postponed. The NHL's Los Angeles Kings were scheduled to host the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.

The NBA had not announced a makeup date for the Hornets-Lakers game as of Thursday afternoon.

"The entire NBA family sends its thoughts and support to the community of Los Angeles during this challenging time," the league said in a statement. "We are grateful for the thousands of local firefighters and first responders who have demonstrated enormous bravery. Our prayers remain with those affected by the unimaginable devastation caused by the wildfires."

Three major fires were burning in areas of the vast Los Angeles metroplex following two days of extraordinary winds. A major threat broke out Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills, close to the heart of the entertainment industry, but had been contained by Thursday morning.

Roughly 180,000 people are under evacuation orders, and the fires have consumed about 45 square miles (117 square kilometers) -- roughly the size of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles' history.

Lakers coach coach JJ Redick, who resides in Palisades, said Tuesday before his team's game in Dallas that members of his family were among those forced to evacuate their homes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

PITTSBURGH -- Left-hander Caleb Ferguson and the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a $3 million, one-year contract.

The agreement Thursday is pending a successful physical.

The 28-year-old is 19-13 with five saves and a 3.68 ERA in 263 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Houston Astros. Ferguson split time between the Yankees and Astros last season, going 1-4 with a 4.64 ERA.

The Pirates plan to stretch Ferguson out in spring training to see if he is an option to join the starting rotation. Ferguson has made 14 starts in his big league career, most as an opener. He made a couple of spot starts during his rookie season with the Dodgers in 2018, including working five innings against San Francisco in his second major league appearance.

The Dodgers quickly moved Ferguson to the bullpen, and he has served as a reliever for the vast majority of his career.

Pittsburgh has a need for a left-hander in a rotation anchored by right-handers, including 2024 National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Jared Jones.

It's FA Cup third round weekend, one of the biggest occasions in the English football calendar, when lower-league minnows get the chance to take on some of the biggest teams in the world in true David vs. Goliath encounters.

While 14-time FA Cup winners Arsenal take on holders and 13-time winners Manchester United in the heavyweight clash of the round at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea all face teams from EFL League Two. Oh, and Tottenham visit National League strugglers Tamworth -- almost 100 places separate the two clubs in the English football pyramid -- at their 4,900-capacity ground called The Lamb.

FA Cup history is littered with shocks and so-called giant-killings, including fourth-tier Wrexham beating reigning league champions Arsenal in 1992, third-tier Leeds United winning at Premier League champions Manchester United in 2010 and sixth-tier Maidstone United, of the National League South, winning away at Premier League-bound Ipswich Town last season.

So who will pull off the biggest shock this time, and what are the storylines to look out for? ESPN has identified the ties with the best stories and biggest shock value this weekend.

Everton vs. Peterborough United: Thursday, 2:45 p.m. ET/7:45 p.m. GMT, LIVE on ESPN+

Ashley Young won the FA Cup with Manchester United in 2016 and the Everton defender will get the chance to create an even more personal cup memory by facing his teenage son in this third-round tie at Goodison Park.

Tyler Young, 18, made his professional debut for League One side Peterborough in October and could ensure a Father versus Son by being named in manager Darren Ferguson's squad for the game. Ferguson, of course, is the son of former United manager Sir Alex, who signed Ashley Young for the Premier League club in 2011.

With Ashley at the senior end of the scale at 39 and Tyler still an unproven youngster, this could be a tie when one or both make an appearance from the substitutes' bench, but Ashley has already spoken of the possibility being a "dream come true."

As Ashley posted on X:

WOW.......... Dreams Might Come True #FaCup #GoosebumpsMoment #YoungVsYoung

Ashley Young (@youngy18) December 2, 2024

Liverpool vs. Accrington Stanley: Saturday, 7:15 a.m. ET/12:15 p.m. GMT, LIVE on ESPN+

This FA Cup clash is about one thing: milk!

In 1989, Accrington Stanley, then a part-time club in the non-league after going out of business as a Football League side in 1962, became the butt of a joke in a UK television commercial by the Milk Marketing Board in which two young Liverpool supporters argue over a drink of milk. One fan tells his friend that Ian Rush, Liverpool's all-time leading goalscorer, had said that "if I don't drink lots of milk, when I grow up, I'll only be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley!"

His friend replies by saying, "Accrington Stanley? Who are they?" prompting the first child to say, "Exactly!" in response.

The commercial has since become a cult classic, and Saturday's tie at Anfield will only be the second-ever meeting of the two clubs and the first since the 1955-56 FA Cup. In the years since the commercial, Accrington have enjoyed a renaissance and returned the Football League in 2009 and the club has maintained a long tradition of employing Liverpudlian footballers who have been unable to make the grade with Liverpool or Everton.

If you want to know what it means to Accrington's players to have the chance of playing against Liverpool, check out the reaction of Accrington forward Josh Woods when the draw was made.

Manchester City vs. Salford City: Saturday, 12:45 p.m. ET/5:45 p.m. GMT, LIVE ON ESPN+

An under-achieving club overshadowed by a mighty neighbour until the arrival of a wealthy benefactor, vs. an under-achieving club overshadowed by a mighty neighbour until the arrival of a group of wealthy benefactors who made their name with the mighty neighbour. Welcome to Manchester City vs. Salford City: it's a tie between two clubs less than five miles apart, but with the added spice of Salford being owned by the Class of 92, the famed group of young players who formed the backbone of Manchester United's 1999 Treble winners.

Since buying Salford in 2014, when the club were seven levels below the Premier League, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville have taken the club into the EFL. They have been described as the "Man City of the lower leagues," with Salford's big-spending (in non-league terms) earning comparisons to City's transformation under Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan since his 2008 takeover at the Etihad.

Salford's astronomic rise has hit the buffers in recent years, with the club still in League Two after five seasons, but this tie is all about the owners and the very distant prospect of a huge upset against City to add to the successes they enjoyed while playing for United.

Tamworth vs. Tottenham: Sunday, 7:30 a.m. ET/12:30 p.m. GMT, LIVE on ESPN+

This is a classic cup tie involving a non-league minnow at home against one of the biggest names in English football. Tiny Tamworth are taking on Tottenham, whose record of eight FA Cup wins is bettered only by Arsenal and Manchester United. Tamworth's stadium, The Lamb, has an artificial surface and visitors' changing rooms that are too small to accommodate all of the Spurs squad and their staff.

Mid-table in the National League, England's fifth tier, Tamworth would pull off one of the biggest shocks in FA Cup history if they were to defeat Spurs. Lincoln City were the last team from outside the EFL to win against a Premier League side in the FA Cup when they defeated Burnley at Turf Moor in 2017, while Sutton United's 2-1 home win against Coventry City in 1989 was the most recent non-league win against a top-flight side.

But as one of the Premier League's so-called Big Six, Spurs would be the biggest name to fall against non-league side if they were to be on the wrong end of an upset. The club's joy at being drawn against a Premier League opponent shows they're ready for the challenge.

Arsenal vs. Manchester United: Sunday, 10 a.m. ET/3 p.m. GMT, LIVE on ESPN+

Everyone loves an FA Cup fairytale, but when two giants collide at the third-round stage, the tie will grab the headlines and Arsenal's clash against United sees the cup's most successful-ever sides go head-to-head for a place in the fourth round.

The Gunners haven't gone beyond the fourth round since lifting the cup for a record 14th time after beating Chelsea in 2020, while 13-time winners United emerged with the cup for only the second time since 2004 after defeating Manchester City at Wembley last season.

Sunday's game will be the 15th FA Cup encounter between the two teams with United winning eight, Arsenal five and one draw. It is a cup rivalry that has thrown up some of the most memorable moments in FA Cup history including Ryan Giggs's solo goal winner in the 1999 semifinal replay, Alan Sunderland scoring a last-minute winner in the 1979 Final and Arsenal winning the first-ever penalty shoot-out in a final when beating United in 2005.

Sunday's game will have to be decided on the day, with no more replays in the cup this season, so expect more drama.

Leeds United vs. Harrogate Town: Saturday, 12:45 p.m. ET/5:45 p.m GMT, LIVE on ESPN+

Less than 20 miles separate EFL Championship side Leeds United and League Two team Harrogate Town, but the two will meet for the first time in a competitive fixture in Saturday's tie at Elland Road.

And while the clubs are now just two divisions apart, it is a true David vs. Goliath tie. When Leeds won the league title in 1992 -- the year before the start of the Premier League -- Harrogate were playing in the seventh-tier Northern Premier League and had previously welcomed Leeds to their tiny 5,000-capacity Wetherby Road stadium to officially turn on the club's new floodlights.

Harrogate is a genteel spa town, home of old-fashioned tea rooms and mineral springs, while Leeds is an industrial powerhouse city of 500,000 people, with a football club regarded by many as the biggest outside the Premier League. Having been promoted to the EFL for the first time in 2020, Harrogate continue to punch above their weight in League Two, but it would be a historic cup upset if they were to win.

Newcastle United vs. Bromley: Sunday, 10 a.m. ET/3 p.m. GMT, LIVE on ESPN+

Newcastle are arguably the most unsuccessful big club anywhere in the world due to a trophy drought dating back to 1969, when the Magpies won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup -- the tournament that became the UEFA Cup and is now the Europa League. The last of Newcastle's six FA Cups came in 1955, so Eddie Howe's team could end a 70-year wait to become cup winners this season.

Standing in their way are League Two side Bromley, who were promoted to the EFL for the first time in their history by winning the National League Play-Off final last season.

Andy Woodman spent five years at Newcastle as the club's goalkeeper coach between 2010 and 2015, but his claim to fame is co-authoring a book with best friend Gareth Southgate in 2004 called "Woody & Nord: A Football Friendship," which won best autobiography at the British Book Awards for chronicling their relationship and contrasting careers in the game.

Nottingham Forest vs. Luton Town: Saturday, 10 a.m. ET/3 p.m. GMT, LIVE on ESPN+

This tie is a repeat of the 1959 FA Cup Final, when Forest last lifted the cup courtesy of a goal scored by Elton John's cousin.

Back in 1959, Roy Dwight was the star of the family, with younger cousin Reginald just a 12-year-old with dreams of making it as a pop star. After changing his name to Elton John, Reginald quickly put Roy in the shade with his musical achievements, even though Roy retained the rare distinction of scoring a goal to help his team win an FA Cup final before breaking his leg in the same game.

Fast forward to 2025 and Forest are flying high in the Premier League under Nuno Espirito Santo and one of the outsiders with hopes of winning the FA Cup this season.

First-team All-SEC tight end Eli Stowers told ESPN that he plans to return to Vanderbilt for the 2025 season.

Stowers said he thought "a lot" about the NFL, as he was projected as a midround draft pick, but he stayed because "we're building something special" at Vanderbilt.

Stowers caught 49 passes for 638 yards and five touchdowns this season. He had a season-high 133 yards in the Commodores' upset of then-No. 1 Alabama on Oct. 5.

Stowers began his career at Texas A&M as a quarterback and came to Vanderbilt from New Mexico State in 2024. By shining in the SEC again in 2025, he could continue to boost his draft stock.

Stowers told ESPN he wanted to develop into "being the best version of myself."

Stowers' return is significant for Vanderbilt, which also will return quarterback Diego Pavia next year. Pavia won the 2024 SEC Newcomer of the Year and won a landmark ruling to get an extra year of eligibility by challenging the NCAA's stance on junior college eligibility rules. He'll now have Stowers, his close friend and the team's leading receiver, to throw to in 2025.

In recent seasons, Vanderbilt hadn't been as prepared from an NIL standpoint to retain top talent. They've lost players to other power conference schools or not been able to pay players enough to return, which meant they went to the NFL with uncertain futures.

The combination of better NIL resources and the momentum from a 7-6 season and the school's first bowl win since 2013 have Vanderbilt well positioned to build in 2025.

Stowers told ESPN he wants to "be a part of a Vandy team that can change the culture and reputation of the program and make more history for years to come."