Kirk Cousins misplaced his beginning job final season after the Atlanta Falcons signed him to an enormous contract, however the veteran quarterback will not be going anyplace — not less than for now.
The Falcons selected to maintain Cousins on their roster by way of Saturday, which triggered a $10M roster bonus due in 2026. Whereas that doesn’t essentially imply Cousins will stay with Atlanta into subsequent season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes that there isn’t any cause for the Falcons to hurry any resolution.
Even when the Falcons launched Cousins earlier than Thursday’s deadline, they already owed him $90M assured from the four-year, $180M deal he signed final offseason. They’re basically selecting to take one other $10M hit, so that they nonetheless have the choice of buying and selling Cousins, permitting them to get out from not less than a number of the the rest of the contract.
Cousins misplaced his job to 2024 first-round decide Michael Penix Jr. late final season. The 36-year-old would undoubtedly moderately have an opportunity to start out someplace in 2025, however all indications have been that the connection between Cousins, Penix and the Falcons is fine.
Cousins began fairly robust with Atlanta final season, however he had a brutal stretch of play in the midst of the 12 months. He completed with 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
The Falcons may very well be hoping that one other staff that misses out on their top quarterback option can be keen on buying and selling for Cousins. The Falcons have left that choice open by retaining Cousins on the roster some time longer.