For a third straight year, the most fascinating story for Atlanta Falcons fans heading into the offseason is the quarterback position. It seems that Michael Penix Jr. isn't guaranteed a starting role after a season-ending ACL injury, and veteran Kirk Cousins didn't do enough to prove he is a viable option. This leaves fans wondering what the options are with Cousins, who is entering the third year of a four-year deal and has been a clear potential roster cut or trade option if the possibility presented itself.
Last season, no team was interested in dealing for Cousins' massive deal, and it was cheaper to keep the quarterback rostered than explore a potential cut. This has changed with Spotrac providing a clear path to a divorce for both sides despite two years remaining on the contract. It is incredibly important to note that any release must be postdated to June 1; any cut made before then would incur a $10.4 million cap hit on top of Cousins' existing $24.6 million scheduled cap hit.
With this in mind, the options for the Falcons are clearly a release or trade after the June 1 deadline. While a move can be postdated and still announced, it wouldn't be official until this date. Releasing Cousins would only save $2.1 million in cap space, but offer a far more affordable $22.5 million dead cap hit in 2026, followed by a dead cap hit of $12.5 in 2027 before Cousins is officially off Atlanta's books.
Falcons Have Far More Options with Kirk Cousins in 2026 Offseason
A trade remains a long shot, but it remains enticing as it would save $12.1 million in cap space while only forcing a $12.5 million dead cap hit for each of the final two seasons. However, this isn't an incredibly likely path when teams understand Cousins is likely to be cut and could be re-signed at a potential bargain. For Atlanta to pull off a potential trade, it will take a truly desperate team that is willing to pay a question mark.
Still, this path cannot be discounted and appears to be what Atlanta will first explore early in the offseason. If a trade doesn't quickly present itself, the franchise will cut the veteran and opt to free up what little cap space they can and rebuild the quarterback room.
While Cousins isn't expected to be a viable starter for the Falcons, there are equal question marks about Penix after yet another serious injury. The only option the Falcons appear to have here is to move on from Cousins with a postdated move, whether that comes with Cousins' release or a trade.
This opens up the needed roster spot to sign or draft competition for Penix and gives Cousins the chance to start fresh in a new landing spot. Barring a drastic change in outlook, this appears to be the path the Falcons are walking as we head deeper into the 2026 offseason.