It’s past 4 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, March 11, which means the new league year has begun.
With that, another quarterback is on the open market.
Via Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Falcons have released Kirk Cousins, making him a free agent after two seasons with the club.
Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract in the 2024 offseason to join the Falcons after six seasons with the Vikings. Coming off a torn Achilles suffered during the 2023 season, Cousins struggled in 2024, tossing a league-leading 16 interceptions despite starting just 14 games.
He performed better in 2025 after Michael Penix Jr. went down with a torn ACL, finishing the season having completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 appearances and eight starts.
The Falcons were expected to release Cousins after this season and now that has come to pass. The club still has Penix and is set to add Tua Tagovailoa, who is expected to take the bulk of the offseason reps with Penix still rehabbing.
Cousins could be an intriguing option for a team looking for a bridge quarterback this offseason. The Falcons owe Cousins $10 million for 2026, which means Cousins could be had on an affordable deal — though not the kind of veterans’ minimum salary that Kyler Murray is likely to get on the open market.
UPDATE 4:35 p.m. ET: The Falcons have announced Cousins’ release with a post-June 1 designation. That move spreads out the cap hit for Cousins, with the club taking $22.5 million in dead money in 2026 before a $12.5 million cap hit in 2027. Cousins’ release will free $2.1 million against the cap in 2026 and $77.9 million against the cap in 2027.
