Kirk Cousins will not be finishing his four-year deal with the Falcons. The veteran quarterback is set to be released, ending a complicated chapter in Atlanta that saw him go from franchise cornerstone to second-string backup.

“Falcons GM Ian Cunningham told 92.9 The Game in Atlanta that the team plans to release Kirk Cousins on the first day of the league year, Wednesday, March 11,” NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on February 24.

The path to Cousins’ release was paved by a mutual restructuring of his four-year, $180 million deal. With two years remaining on the contract, Cousins was set to carry a cap hit of $24.6 million in 2026 and a staggering $90.4 million in 2027. Both sides agreed to reshape the deal rather than let it detonate on the Falcons’ cap books.

The restructure, agreed upon, reduced Cousins’ this year’s base salary from $35 million down to just $2.1 million. The remaining $32.9 million shifted into his 2027 compensation. In exchange, a $67.9 million vesting guarantee for 2027 was added. It is set to trigger if Cousins remains on the roster past March 13.

In total, the Falcons owe Kirk Cousins approx. $70 million. a combination of his base salary for this year and the guaranteed amount locked in for 2027.

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For the past two years, Cousins has earned almost $90 million. That includes his signing bonuses plus his base salary for those years. His career earnings sit at approximately $294.2 million, sixth-highest in NFL history. 

But now the veteran quarterback’s days in Atlanta are over, as confirmed by the General Manager Ian Cunningham. 

The Kirk Cousins story in Atlanta, which ended without a Super Bowl

Cousins arrived in Atlanta in 2024 with a clear mandate: lead the Falcons back to relevance. Then Atlanta used the eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft on quarterback Michael Penix Jr., and Cousins’ future with the team shifted from certain to conditional overnight.

The 2025 season did not resolve that tension. The Falcons finished 8-9, and Cousins posted a 5-5 record as a starter. And he ended up being benched in favor of Penix Jr. The message was clear long before it was official. There was no longer a seat at the table for a quarterback who wasn’t the quarterback of the future. On February 24, the Falcons made it permanent.​

“Out of respect for Kirk and Michael, felt like that was the right decision,” Cunningham said, referencing the contract restructure that set this moment in motion.​

Now, Cousins turns the page. He enters free agency this March as one of the most experienced quarterbacks available. A 37-year-old with 174 career games, 44,700 passing yards, and 298 touchdown passes. 

Several teams will be looking for exactly what he offers. A proven veteran who can stabilize a locker room, mentor a developing quarterback, and win games while the next guy gets ready. 

But beneath all the business of free agency and fresh starts, there is one thing that stings. And it has nothing to do with money. Kirk Cousins has spent his entire career chasing the one thing that has eluded him: a Super Bowl. Whatever team signs him next will be getting a competitor who has everything left to prove, and very little time left to prove it.