Kirk Cousins and the Falcons are close to divorce.
The 13-year veteran quarterback is expected to be released by Atlanta before his $10 million roster bonus is paid on March 17, but many league officials say he will not be released until then, according to ESPN. He believes that it will be released.
Front office executives keeping an eye on Kaz's situation in Atlanta said the quarterback has a no-trade clause in his contract and therefore has all the leverage.
But no one believes Cousins has a future in helping the Falcons (7-7) get out of trouble.
As a result, the Falcons will not be able to trade Cousins, and the league-wide expectation is that they will need to release him before the March deadline when his bonus for the 2026 season will be paid.
It is true that severance does not come suddenly.
The Falcons wouldn't be wise to spend any more on a quarterback who cost the team $90 million over 14 games.
Cousins, 36, was far from making a big splash in early free agency, leaving his four-year, $180 million contract with the Vikings and Falcons.
With the four-time Pro Bowler under center, the Falcons had high aspirations heading into the 2023 season following a 7-10 season.
However, Cousins hasn't had a touchdown pass in four straight games and was benched this week in place of rookie Michael Penix Jr., who was surprisingly selected by the Falcons with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. It was done.
If the deal goes through, Cousins will be a free agent for the second straight offseason and will be able to choose a new team that best suits him.
After Cousins was benched on Tuesday ahead of Sunday's game against the Giants, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said Cousins was said to have handled the move “with class.” spoke.
“Obviously, any decision to resign or be demoted, no matter what the incident, is not going to be greeted with great gratitude, including that,” Morris said.
This season, Cousins completed 303 of 435 pass attempts for 3,508 yards and nearly the same number of touchdowns (18) and interceptions (16).
His 16 interceptions are the most of his career.
