To begin this entire Falcons and Kirk Cousins debacle, every NFL insider expected the club to release the veteran before March 17, when a $10 million roster bonus for 2026 became fully guaranteed.
It made sense. Why would Atlanta willingly tack on another $10 million to the price they have to pay? Of course they would cut Cousins, right? Well, the Falcons remained firm on their stance that they won’t just release him, and insiders are starting to believe them.
[Ian Rapoport of NFL.com](https://x.com/RapSheet/status/1899957467347365903) recently confirmed as much, saying the Falcons will indeed keep him on the roster until they see fit. [Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports](https://x.com/CharlesRobinson/status/1899892723382911070) went as far as to admit he may have been wrong about Atlanta’s bluff.
“I thought the Falcons were bluffing about keeping Kirk Cousins. I don’t think that anymore. They’re going to roll right through the Sunday deadline to lock in another $10 million in 2026 guaranteed salary and see where this goes. Either he’s a pricey backup or a trade candidate.”
I’ve said on multiple occasions that the Falcons should hold Cousins’ feet to the fire. Might it be problematic to have Cousins on the roster during training camp? Sure, but if I’m the Falcons, I’m willing to bet that Cousins will do whatever is necessary to start somewhere in 2025.
There’s a ZERO PERCENT CHANCE that Kirk Cousins will just accept being a backup quarterback in Atlanta in the twilight years of his career. This season could literally be his last chance to be a starter in this league. There’s no way in hell he would just accept being a backup.
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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire