Kirk Cousins is still a member of the Atlanta Falcons, but not by choice at this point
The former Falcons starting quarterback requested and received a meeting with team owner Arthur Blank on Wednesday, during which he said he wants a move to a team where he can be the starter, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB.
The Falcons essentially declined comment, saying they would do what’s best for the team.
Sources: QB Kirk Cousins asked for, and got, a meeting with Falcons owner Arthur Blank on his future. Blank and Cousins had that meeting Wednesday night—the QB wants to go to a place where he can start in 2025.
The Falcons brass has said it’d do what’s best for the team at QB.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 7, 2025
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero later reported the Falcons still have no plans to release Cousins.
At this point, getting Cousins and his $180 million contract off the books is probably best for the team if it isn’t planning to start him. Cousins is one year into that four-year deal, but was benched in December amid a lackluster season.
First-round rookie Michael Penix, whose selection was reportedly a surprise to Cousins after committing to Atlanta, took over for the final three games of the season and had his moments, so much so that Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said at the NFL scouting combine last week that Penix is now the starter for 2025.
The turn of events left Cousins as an anchor on the Falcons’ balance sheet. He has a $10 million roster bonus due March 17, with a $27.5 million base salary for the 2025 season. The cost was large enough that the Falcons were reportedly planning to cut him, but now the plan has apparently changed.
At 36 years old, Cousins is one of the NFL’s older QBs and two full seasons removed from his last Pro Bowl selection and playoff berth, but he blamed shoulder, elbow and ankle injuries for his lackluster performance last year. If a team believes he can get healthy this offseason and has the cap space for him, he should probably be available.