Kirk Cousins made a persistent effort to leave Atlanta this year. The high-priced quarterback — one the team demoted late in the 2024 season — met with Arthur Blank about a release last spring. No trade or release took place, despite Cousins’ desire for the latter route, and he ended up starting nearly half the season.
Michael Penix Jr.‘s injury trouble resurfaced, giving Cousins a runway to start eight games. Cousins quarterbacked five of Atlanta’s eight wins this season. Two years remain on Cousins’ four-year, $180MM contract; only $10MM guaranteed remains on the deal. Penix remains the presumptive Falcons starter in 2026, but the QB’s injury trouble — a primary plotline during his Indiana years — certainly qualifies as an issue at this point.
Months after his meeting with Blank and voiced preference to be released (amid Penix’s rise to QB1 status), Cousins said he is open to staying with the Falcons. Confirming he is not planning to retire, the 14-year veteran said (via The Athletic’s Josh Kendall) he would “love” to stay in Atlanta. The 37-year-old QB is due a $35MM base salary in 2026.
The Falcons would be unlikely to unload all of that in a trade. The Terry Fontenot-led front office had sought to have an acquiring team pick up too much of the tab for clubs’ liking. Cousins’ performance in 2024 had already depressed his trade value, but the Falcons — who let Cousins’ $10MM 2026 guarantee vest this past March — stuck to their guns. Cousins’ presence did not end up mattering in the playoff race, but the Falcons did win four straight games and finished in a three-way tie for first in the again-dismal NFC South. This did not save Fontenot or Raheem Morris‘ jobs, leaving Cousins in limbo.
Cousins finished with 10 touchdown passes and five interceptions, but his completion percentage (61.7) and yards per attempt (6.4) represented career-low figures — in terms of seasons he has been his team’s primary starter. A team could be interested in Cousins, but his contract will become an issue once again if any trade talks are to commence. Minimal trade interest emerged during the season.
The presence of a veteran starter did help Kyle Pitts. Four years after thriving as a rookie with Matt Ryan targeting him, the former first-round tight end came alive at a rather important time. The contract-year pass catcher finished with 88 receptions for 928 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. This included an 11-catch, 166-yard, three-TD night in an upset win over the Buccaneers. Pitts has set himself up well for free agency, even considering his inconsistent past.
A rumor pointing to the Falcons franchise-tagging Pitts came up, but with the team making wholesale changes, ESPN’s Dan Graziano does not see the team extending the 6-foot-6 performer at high-level rate. No known extension talks have taken place.
Drake London will assuredly be a priority, and the standout wide receiver is going into a contract year. Bijan Robinson is also now extension-eligible. This could still keep the tag in play, but an extension may be a stretch for a retooling team. Considering Pitts’ 1,000-yard season came with Ryan targeting him, it will be interesting to learn the retired QB-turned-exec’s views on the matter now that he appears set to take a lead front office role with his former team.
I hope dolphins pick up pits he would give them a great player to throw to .
Kyle Pitts is due for 6 touchdowns next year. Falcons don’t want to miss out on that.
I can probably guess 35 million reasons why he’s open to staying now.
OTC lists the dead money on Kirk Cousins’s contract for 2026 at $22,500,000, with the cap savings at $35,000,000. The dead money is gone, so the question for the Falcons is if it’s worthwhile to retain Cousins at $35 million for 2026.
A case could be made in either direction. If the Falcons decide it’s time for a rebuild then Cousins should go. Cousins as a starter almost guarantees six or seven wins as a baseline, not a good base for a top three draft pick. On the other hand, the Falcons are in the execrable NFC South where they tied for first place this year and could win it in 2026. Cousins as the starter is a good foundation for winning the NFC South.
Penix with his injury history looks like a project of tears at this point. He’s almost better as a backup quarterback who would start two or three games as a high level replacement than the headliner. As a starter, most years Penix would leave his team stranded somewhere between five and twelve games with a ruined season.
Drake London should be the first priority. Get him locked up. He looks like a star.
Still needs someone to throw him the ball.
Drake and Bijan should be priorities, without a doubt. Franchise rag Pitts and using him as the main piece, trade up for a mid 1st round pick.
Franchise “tag”. lol