Terry Fontenot is going to be spinning a lot of plates this offseason. The Falcons’ defense isn’t even close to where it needs to be, so that should be taking up most of Fontenot’s attention, but on the back burner is Kirk Cousins.
The Falcons are at a crossroads with the veteran quarterback, and while most still believe the club will eventually cut Cousins, it might not be that simple. St. Patrick’s Day is an important date.
On March 17, Cousins has a $10 million roster bonus that will fully vest, with many pointing to this as an inflection point. That might not be the case, though. According to ESPN pundit Dan Graziano, the Falcons won’t let the $10 million roster bonus factor into their decision.
“Kirk Cousins’ $10 million 2026 roster bonus becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year, but I was told that isn’t a factor in the Falcons’ timetable for moving on from him,” Graziano writes. “They’ve already sunk $90 million into Cousins for less than one year’s worth of games, and if they truly believe there’s a trade market for him, the extra $10 million won’t deter them from hanging on past March 17. Odds are much stronger, however, that they won’t find much of a market and will end up releasing Cousins at some point soon.”
The Falcons have remained firm in their stance of keeping Cousins on the roster in 2025. During the NFL Combine, Terry Fontenot reiterated that the Falcons will do what’s best for the Falcons, which may be keeping Cousins in Atlanta.
“No, it hasn’t changed,” Fontenot said about the possibility of keeping Cousins on the roster next season. “Just like with any player at any position, or any decision we make, we always have to look at all the circumstances and do what’s absolute best for the Atlanta Falcons, but at this point, that hasn’t changed.”
From a dollars and cents perspective, $10 million is a drop in the bucket for the Falcons, with the 2026 league salary cap expected to reach close to $300 million. Playing hardball with Cousins is what I prefer the Falcons to do because that $10 million isn’t going to be the difference in the club winning a Super Bowl this year or not.
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Photographer: Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire
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