More money coming due did nothing to move the Falcons off Kirk Cousins.
Atlanta kept the quarterback on its roster through Saturday at 4 p.m. ET, meaning his $10 million roster bonus for the 2026 season has become fully guaranteed, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported.
The deadline to avoid that amount being locked in for Cousins in the future could have potentially led the Falcons, who are going forward with Michael Penix Jr. as QB1, to release the veteran.
But Atlanta's messaging has remained clear throughout the offseason; the latest decision is firmly in line with the team's approach. Plus, the guarantee is still subject to offset language and could transfer partially or fully to another team rostering Cousins in 2026, per Pelissero.
Despite Cousins meeting with owner Arthur Blank on March 5 and stating his goal is to play (which right now could only be attained elsewhere), Pelissero reported two days later that the club intends to keep him on the roster.
NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe also pointed out on Friday's episode of The Insiders that if the Falcons did let go of Cousins, it would ideally be to recoup value, and that Atlanta is content with the plan to keep him as a backup.
As backups go, teams would be hard-pressed to find a better one. Although he looked greatly diminished coming off his Achilles tear for the Falcons last year, Cousins is still a capable passer. He melted down with nine interceptions and just one touchdown over his final five games to lose his starting job to Penix, but he also cleared 500 passing yards in one game and managed three contests with three-plus passing TDs during the 2024 season.
He completed a respectable 66.9 percent of his attempts, exactly his career completion percentage.
If the Falcons stay the course, his football mind will be invaluable to Penix's continued development, not to mention his ability to eke out a win compared to other backups when pressed into action.
Depending on how the QB carousel continues, another team might come calling and present enough value for the Falcons to move on -- regardless of the additional $10 million newly added to the gobs of money Atlanta paid for Cousins in the first place.
Should a quarterback-needy club strike out on remaining veteran signal-callers like Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson, or fail to land a prospect it believes in during April's draft, the options at QB drastically narrow moving forward.
An injury in training camp could also press someone to attempt a trade for Cousins.
Those scenarios could work in the Falcons' favor: While a pre-June 1 trade would result in $37.5 in dead money with only $2.5 million in cap savings for 2025, one completed after June 1 would save $27.5 million, paired with a dead-money number of $12.5 million.
Or Atlanta could forge on with a four-time Pro Bowl safety net behind its hopeful franchise QB.
There's no rush.
