A Kirk Cousins-Falcons divorce is nigh.
The veteran 13-year quarterback is expected to be cut by Atlanta before his $10 million roster bonus hits on March 17, but many sources around the league, per ESPN, believe the release will happen before then.
Front office executives that are keeping their eye on Cousins situation in Atlanta have said the quarterback has a no-trade clause in his contract and therefore has all the leverage.
Yet, no one believes Cousins has a future in helping the Falcons (7-7) climb out of their hole.
As a result, there is a league-wide expectation that the Falcons will not be able to trade Cousins and will have to release him before the March deadline when his bonus for the 2026 season is due.
The cutting of ties is certainly not coming out of nowhere.
The Falcons wouldn’t be wise to take in any more costs for a quarterback that has cost the team $90 million over 14 games.
Cousins, 36, has fallen well short of what was a huge early free agency splash, leaving the Vikings for a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons.
With the four-time Pro Bowler under center, the Falcons had high aspirations for the season following a 7-10 campaign in 2023.
However, Cousins went four consecutive games without a touchdown pass and was benched for rookie Michael Penix Jr. this week, who was surprisingly selected by the Falcons as the eighth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
If the release comes, Cousins will become a free agent for the second straight offseason and will be able to choose a new team that fits best for him.
Following Cousins’ benching on Tuesday ahead of their game against the Giants on Sunday, Cousins was said to handle the move “with class,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said.
“You know, obviously, anytime you take a step down and a demotion of whatever the case may be, it’s not gonna be met with great appreciation, and all those things,” Morris said.
This season, Cousins completed 303 of 435 pass attempts for 3,508 yards, and he nearly had the same amount of touchdowns (18) as interceptions (16).
The 16 interceptions are the most of his career.