After signing quarterback Kirk Cousins to a long-term extension and drafting Michael Penix Jr. not long after, the Atlanta Falcons restructured the veteran’s contract for the 2026 season. It looked messy enough to wonder if it would nudge the 37-year-old to start thinking about retirement, but that doesn’t seem to be the case, at least for now.

“I was thinking about it when I was in year three, four, five, like how long is this going to go,” he said, talking about how long he’d like to play, in a conversation with NBC. “Certainly, now coming up on year 15, you feel really blessed to even be in this position because it’s probably longer than you ever thought possible.”

“But yeah, I would love to keep going, and they got to want you, and you got to have an opportunity. But I feel good, kind of rejuvenated, having played at the end of last season. I feel like I’m in a good spot, enjoying the game, enjoying being with my teammates…would love to build on that and see where it can go from there.”

Things have gone downhill since he signed the four-year, $180 million deal. Just a month later, the Falcons drafted Penix, and as the season unfolded, Cousins lost his starting job to the rookie. Heading into the 2025 season, the team made it clear Penix would be the starter.

That plan changed again when Penix suffered a season-ending knee injury midseason, and Cousins was back under center for the final seven games, throwing 10 touchdown passes against five interceptions during that period. Cousins reiterated that he wanted to keep playing and didn’t rule out the possibility of staying in Atlanta at the end of the season.

Soon after, though, the Falcons restructured his contract, and Cousins is expected to be released before March 13, when a $67.9 million guarantee for the 2027 season would vest under the reworked deal. As part of the restructure, his 2026 base salary was also reduced from a non-guaranteed $35 million to $2.1 million, which is bad news for the veteran.

All signs point to the Falcons preparing to move on, but the fact that Cousins still loves the game means there is room for more.

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Kirk Cousins to keep an “open mind”

There is still a path for Cousins to remain in Atlanta if the Falcons revisit the deal once more and end up restructuring it in a way that spreads the dead money across the 2026 and 2027 league years instead of absorbing the full hit in 2026. That approach would keep Cousins with the team while creating some additional cap breathing room.

If that doesn’t work out, Kirk Cousins is keeping his options open.

“I’ll keep an open mind, kinda be ready for whatever may happen,” Cousins said. “I still think it’s really early. When we get to March, we’ll know more. Have some substantive conversations and see where it goes.

He understands that there is a possibility he might not return to Atlanta, and that the phone doesn’t ring. Cousins has acknowledged that he isn’t going into the offseason with expectations, and he will be ready for whatever happens. What hasn’t changed is his desire to keep playing, if the opportunity presents itself, wherever that might be.

“When it comes to Kirk, obviously have a previous relationship with Kirk. But I don’t know if it’s the time yet to talk about all the positions and those types of things,” Kevin Stefanski said when he became the Falcons HC. “Those types of conversations will come in due time.”

Health is part of the equation, too. Cousins tore his Achilles tendon while playing for the Vikings in 2023, which is a cause for concern for a 37-year-old quarterback. However, he said he felt healthier last season, but at 37, coming all the way back from something like that isn’t something teams overlook.

Given how unlikely it is that Atlanta or some other team will come calling for Cousins, we can expect clarity soon. After all, no team would want to carry the $67.9 million guarantee tied to March 13. Until a decision is made, the Falcons must determine whether another contract tweak makes sense, while quarterback-needy teams, like the Las Vegas Raiders, weigh whether Cousins is the right answer.