The Kirk Cousins-Atlanta Falcons era could be coming to an end very soon. The Falcons signed the veteran quarterback to a massive four-year, $180 million contract last offseason in hopes of getting the franchise back to the playoffs and top of the NFC South.
However, that dream never materialized for the Falcons or Cousins. Atlanta missed the playoffs and the team benched the veteran quarterback for rookie Michael Penix Jr. Penix started the Falcons' last three regular season games, while Cousins contemplated his future.
The veteran quarterback was injured and played poorly in his first season with the Falcons, leaving everyone to wonder where Cousins will go next. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on Sunday’s SportsCenter that the two sides have an "artificial deadline” to figure out the next steps whether it's a trade or release.
"The NFL Scouting Combine is in about a week-and-a-half, I expect Atlanta and Cousins' agent to talk about the future, see what they can shake out, Fowler said (h/t Bleacher Report). You know, the New York Jets, once upon a time, wanted to sign Cousins. He's going to be one of the best options. He's recovered from his Achilles tear. And he's got a roster bonus due in March of $10 million, so that's sort of an artificial deadline for him to find a new team that should shake out."
The 36-year-old quarterback has a guaranteed salary of $27.5 million next season, which is too much for a backup. He completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.
In his last five games, Cousins completed a pedestrian 62.6 percent of his passes for 1,190 yards, a touchdown, and nine interceptions. It's hard to see any team giving up much draft capital to take on Cousins and his contract, putting the Falcons in a tough spot.
If the Falcons can’t trade Cousins, their next best option is to release him with a pre-Jun. 1 designation. According to OverTheCap.com, Atlanta would absorb $40 million in dead money and have zero cap savings.
Since the Falcons still have some of their guys on rookie contracts like Penix Jr., Kyle Pitts, Bijan Robinson, and Drake London, this is the best move right now to give the team financial flexibility down the road.