With the Michael Penix Jr. era beginning in Atlanta, the Kirk Cousins era is over about eight months after the Falcons gave him $180 million in free agency, and a new report from Adam Schefter reveals their future intentions with the veteran too.
“Kirk Cousins’ divorce from the Falcons is expected to be finalized before his $10 million roster bonus is due March 17, with executives across the league fully expecting Atlanta to have to release him by then.
The split between Cousins and the Falcons is inevitable at this point, according to multiple sources.”
With Cousins’ no-trade clause, he’s got all of the leverage, so the Falcons basically would have three choices: 1) cut him, 2) keep him, or 3) somehow convince him to waive his no-trade clause. And we all know the second option isn’t going to be the case, even if a Falcons official said otherwise.
“A Falcons official told ESPN on Saturday morning that it was too early to determine whether the organization would release Cousins. The official added that Penix’s relatively low salary cap number for 2025 ($5.2 million) gives the Falcons the financial flexibility to potentially keep Cousins.”
The Falcons will have to release him before March 17, which is when his $10 million roster bonus for the 2026 season comes due. There’s no logical reason to keep him other than being spiteful. The Falcons will have paid him $90 million for 14 games worth of work.
Cousins played 14 games, went 7-7, and will eventually get paid $90 million. That’s roughly $6.4 million per game, $12.9 million per win, $1.6 million per quarter, and nearly $100K per snap.
This can only be seen as an unmitigated disaster on the part of the Atlanta Falcons. Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot need to be held accountable, but if Michael Penix Jr. is as good as they believe he is, they’ll survive.
Very rarely do people make $180 million mistakes and get to keep their jobs, but this is the Atlanta Falcons. Oh yeah, don’t forget: The Falcons sacrificed a fifth-round pick in the process because of tampering with Cousins!
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Photographer: Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire
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