The Atlanta Falcons handed Kirk Cousins what was essentially a two-year deal worth $100 million in 2024. That they were willing to guarantee him a second season was a big reason why he left the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent.
The Falcons backed Cousins with Michael Penix Jr. a little over a month later with the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL Draft. It was an unprecedented move in the NFL, and one that has blown up in the face of general manager Terry Fontenot and the Falcons.
Cousins was supposed to be the starter for two seasons, but he hasn’t looked the same since being injured against the New Orleans Saints in Week 10 last season with the Falcons sitting at 6-3.
They’re 5-13 since.
The Falcons handed the reins to Michael Penix Jr. for the final three games of the season and anointed him starter for 2025. They were unable to find any buyers for Cousins’s $27.5 million guaranteed salary in the offseason and accrued another $10 million in salary cap money for 2026.
Apologists deemed the move smart to have the best backup quarterback in the NFL, but wantaway 37-year-old quarterbacks who approach the owner about being moved don’t typically make the best backups.
With Penix facing season-ending surgery that will slow his development in the offseason, some have asked the question: What will the Falcons do with the other two years and $80 million (non-guaranteed) on Cousins’s contract?
Cousins carries a $57 million cap hit in 2026. He wasn’t signed to see year three of his deal, and that’s not going to change just because big questions surround the future of Penix and his health.
The Falcons save $22 million next season by moving on from Cousins, and they can spread his $35 million dead cap hit across two seasons in order to have more to spend in 2026 if they like.
Restructuring his contract would cost more money and push more dead money into the future instead of having the option to get Cousins completely off the books after 2026. He’ll have collected $100 million from the Falcons by the time the season is over in seven weeks. They’re not about to commit more to him.
Cousins has gotten action in 2025 already, including a start against the Miami Dolphins. His arm strength isn’t anywhere near where it was in his prime, and he turns 38 next season. It’s questionable if he’s even a quality backup at this stage of his career. The Falcons are 1.5-point underdogs this weekend to the New Orleans Saints (2-8) with their $50 million man under center.
Remember, this was the Falcons’ original plan. Penix wasn’t supposed to take over as starter until 2026.
The Falcons will take the $22 million in savings and look for a quality bridge starter, an insurance policy like Daniel Jones for the Colts this year, Sam Darnold for the Vikings in 2024, or Geno Smith, who resurrected his career in Seattle. Each of those quarterbacks costs less than the savings the Falcons will get by moving on from Cousins.
Signing Cousins was a colossal mistake by the Falcons. It’s a chapter that will be over in seven more games, with Cousins walking away with $100 million for 20 months’ work.
