This week, the Atlanta Falcons made the decision to bench veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. However, it appears the situation is more serious than just a benching.
According to NFL insider Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Falcons are planning to part ways with Cousins before March 17.
“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 NFL fully expecting Atlanta to release him by then,” Schefter wrote for ESPN.
Regardless of how it plays out, it’s clear that Cousins’ time with the Falcons is essentially over.
“The split between Cousins and the Falcons is inevitable at this point, according to multiple sources,” Schefter added.
The Falcons could attempt to trade him if a suitable partner is found, but that doesn’t seem likely.
“Front office executives observing the situation have pointed out that, due to the no-trade clause in Cousins’ contract, he now has all the leverage. And nobody believes he will do any favors for a Falcons team that surprised him on draft night by selecting another quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., in the first round, then benched him this week in favor of the rookie,” Schefter noted.
“Thus there now is a widespread expectation across the league that the Falcons will not be able to trade Cousins and will have to release him before March 17, when his $10 million roster bonus for the 2026 season comes due. There is no need for the Falcons to absorb any more costs for a quarterback whom they have paid $90 million for 14 games.”
Needless to say, this news led to a lot of reactions on social media.
“There’s no two ways about this from the Falcons perspective: the move was a colossal error. Cousins will wind up with nearly $90M in cash for just 14 starts and 18 total touchdowns. Cousins will hit free agency with a chance to find a new home amidst another offseason of several QB-needy teams,” Field Yates of ESPN wrote on X.
“What an abject disaster the #Falcons are … just a mess of an organization,” Mark Zinno of ESPN added.
“Someone should lose their job over this debacle,” analyst Ray G added.
“Fontenot remaining the GM after this fiasco (and his awful draft record) would tell you everything you need to know about this franchise,” Adnan Ikic of The Falcoholic added.
“A reminder that the Falcons knew they were drafting a QB before signing Cousins. One of the worst signings of all time,” draft analyst Kent Weyrauch wrote.
“I never hated the Penix pick. I hated the fact that the Falcons did both. It was colossally stupid to pay a veteran that much money and then draft a guy at 8 overall a few weeks later. The Falcons paid $90M for one year of Cousins,” analyst Pat Layne wrote.
We’ll have to wait and see what comes next for him as he heads into free agency once again.
