The Atlanta Falcons are not planning to move on from Kirk Cousins anytime soon.
Atlanta will be keeping Cousins on their roster past the 4 p.m. ET deadline, which means the 36-year-old will receive a $10 million bonus that will be paid in 2026, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.
Cousins was paid $62.5 million in the first year of his deal with the Falcons in 2024. He is now owed another $27.5 million in 2025.
This now means the Falcons have committed nearly $100 million to Cousins but have indicated that they will be going in a different direction next season.
The Falcons have made it clear that they intend to roll with Michael Penix Jr. as their starting quarterback in 2025 and could find a team to take on Cousins' $10 million roster bonus in a trade, as NFL Network's Mike Garofolo explains.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the Falcons' front office “has shown no motivation to move Cousins.” However, it would be a high price to pay a quarterback not to be a starter.
Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons last season, earning $90 million guaranteed at signing.
Coming off a torn Achilles, Cousins threw for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions as Atlanta went 7-7 with him as the starter.
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