Kirk Cousins’ offseason just picked up.
The Falcons and Cousins agreed to modify the final two years of the quarterback’s contract, perhaps setting the stage for the quarterback to become available later this offseason, ESPN reported.
Cousins will see his non-guaranteed salary reduced from $32.9 million to just $2.1 million, with the expectation that he will be released.
The guaranteed money on his contract remains the same, so the cost-cutting move merely gives the Falcons more cap flexibility immediately, while the team waits to either release or move him.
Cousins’ contract is slated to become guaranteed by March 13, so a resolution to his situation will likely come before then, as no team–including the Falcons–will want to pay the steep price of $67.9 million for his services.
Cousins agreed to a four-year contract worth $180 million with $100 million guaranteed during the 2024 offseason.
It remains possible that Cousins could stick around in Atlanta, given that the guaranteed money for their second-string quarterback did not change, and the Falcons will be on the hook for his guarantee for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
The Falcons will still have Michael Penix Jr. on their roster, but given this is his third major knee surgery, it would be wise to have a backup plan in case he is not ready for training camp.
Cousins threw for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions after he took over for Penix.
Atlanta just had a full house cleaning, moving on from coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot.
Fontenot was infamously on the receiving end of what appeared to be a stern talking to by owner Arthur Blank after he signed Cousins to a massive contract and immediately followed that up by drafting Penix with a premium draft pick in 2024.
