FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons have released veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins with a post-June 1 designation.
It was an anticipated move after general manager Ian Cunningham said during an appearance on 92.9 The Game while at the NFL Combine that Atlanta would part ways with the quarterback at the start of the league year "out of respect" for Cousins.
Cousins signed a four-year deal with Atlanta in March 2024 after six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, where he was named to the Pro Bowl three times. Cousins began the 2023 season playing at a very high level, but an Achilles injury ended his year early. He was brought to Atlanta to provide stability to the quarterback position.
In 2024 Cousins completed 66.9% of his passes thrown for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
Cousins' future in Atlanta was a hot topic during the 2025 offseason. Early on, Falcons leadership expressed the organization was comfortable moving forward with Cousins as Michael Penix Jr.'s backup. Cousins started the final eight games for Atlanta after Penix sustained a season-ending knee injury and led the team on a four-game win streak to end the season.
Cousins completed 61.7% of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions through eight games started and 10 games played in 2025.