On Tuesday morning, Atlanta Falcons General Manager Ian Cunningham announced that the Falcons plan on releasing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins on the first day of the new league year, on March 11th. This news comes just two years after Atlanta signed him to a $180 million deal and drafted his replacement, Michael Penix, just months later.

Things always felt off in Atlanta. Despite paying him $45 million a season, it always felt like Cousins was on a short leash, and after he didn’t perform well in year one, they benched him. Now, just two years later, Cousins is set to hit the open market again.

Considering the top quarterbacks available this offseason are Daniel Jones and Malik Willis (and Aaron Rodgers potentially), and the draft only has one guy who seems like a bona fide starter, Cousins is going to be highly sought after by quarterback-needy teams. There are six places I think he could realistically end up, so I ranked them all to determine where the best landing spot for Cousins is.

6. Las Vegas Raiders

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On the surface, I don’t think the Las Vegas Raiders is a horrible landing spot for Cousins. They have Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers, just brought in arguably the most sought after offensive mind in the coach cycle in Klint Kubiak and they have a ton of cap space to sign free agents. But this would feel like Atlanta all over again.

The Raiders hold the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which they are almost certainly going to use on Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza. Even if they wanted to make Cousins the starter in 2026, he’d have another extremely short leash before they replaced him with a rookie.

If it weren’t for Mendoza going to Vegas, this would be much higher, but I just wouldn’t see this working out any better than Atlanta.

5. New York Jets

The New York Jets are where quarterbacks go to die. I know Cousins is an experienced veteran, so it can’t really ruin his career, but look what happened to Aaron Rodgers. I actually don’t hate what the Jets are building. The weapons aren’t all that bad with guys like Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson, and Frank Reich might be able to inject some life into this offense, but they’re still the Jets.

I also don’t see Cousins wanting to go to a non-contender. And if he did go to a non-contender, I think it would be one with much more upside than New York.

4. Miami Dolphins

I have the Miami Dolphins above the Jets, but not by much. This is another spot where I don’t mind some of the weapons. De’Von Achane is an exceptional running back with receiving upside, and Jaylen Waddle proved he’s still one of the league’s best, but without Mike McDaniel, Miami become much less appealing to a veteran quarterback.

I don’t really believe in Jeff Hafley as a head coach, and I don’t think promoting Bobby Slowik was the best move. I know he led an exciting offense in 2023 (which still ranked 13th, by the way), but Houston was much worse under him in 2024, averaging 22 PPG, which ranked 18th. Then in 2025, he was the Dolphins’ passing game coordinator in a year where Tua Tagovailoa played arguably the worst ball of his career.

There’s just not much to like about Miami, but at least they’re not the Jets.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

This might be crazy to say out loud, I don’t think the Pittsburgh Steelers starting QB job is much better than Miami or even New York’s. There is a lot more organizational stability, even though they have a new head coach coming in, but I don’t think this team is in a great place to succeed in 2026.

Obviously, Aaron Rodgers would have to retire or leave for this to even be a possibility. But if he does, is it that desirable of a job for Cousins? Mike McCarthy is a good enough play caller, but his offense has been outdated for years, and it’s not like Pittsburgh has the weapons to make up for it. DK Metcalf is great, but who else do they have?

Pittsburgh is a place where Cousins could get to the playoffs, but probably won’t win a game. Maybe that’s all he’s looking for, but I think he wants to go somewhere he can actually compete for a championship.

2. Arizona Cardinals

I know the Arizona Cardinals were pretty awful last year, but I think they could be a dark horse in 2026. Trey Benson is returning from injury to lead their rushing attack, Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison are a great young receiving duo and Trey McBride is the best receiving tight end in football. Plus, Mike LaFleur is coming over from Los Angeles to install the Sean McVay offense in Arizona. Those are all very attractive things for a veteran quarterback.

The Cardinals might not be a one year project, but by 2027, they could be back in the mix if they can upgrade their offensive line and defense.

1. Minnesota Vikings

Let me start by saying I don’t think this will happen. A reunion in Minnesota would be a bit awkward, but this would easily be the best landing spot for Cousins.

First of all, there’s familiarity with almost everyone there. He’s worked with Kevin O’Connell, Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson and others, so it wouldn’t be a rocky transition. Second, the Vikings are the most likely to succeed in the near future of anyone on this list. They played really well down the stretch last season, especially defensively, and it feels like they’re a quarterback away from being competitive.

This would involved the Vikings basically giving up on J.J. McCarthy, and I don’t know if they will. He’s yet to play a full season because of injuries, but more importantly, I don’t know if their front office can admit they screwed up.

Like I said, this feels the most unrealistic, but I think it would be the best move for both sides.