Kirk Cousins officially has two potential fates: spend the season as Michael Penix Jr.'s backup or be traded. The Atlanta Falcons have elected to pay his roster bonus rather than release him, meaning they are serious about getting something for him.
Sources: The Falcons officially will be keeping QB Kirk Cousins on their roster past 4 PM eastern today, triggering a guarantee on a $10M roster bonus that is due in 2026, sources told ESPN’s Field Yates and me. pic.twitter.com/Up9vqdiGCQ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2025
While the move has been highly debated, it never did make sense for them to release him. The only reason they would've been out of respect, but Cousins has no legacy with the franchise so they owe him no favors.
Here we will look at the three biggest reasons the team is playing the long game with the high-priced quarterback.
1. Releasing Kirk Cousins would've saved the Falcons money, but only temporarily
If the Atlanta Falcons had released Kirk Cousins before his roster bonus, it would've saved money, if we lived in a vacuum. Waiting to trade him will save them even more money because Cousins' new team would take on a large portion of his contract, saving the Falcons more than $10 million.
While the Falcons could agree to pay some of his $27.5M base salary -- to further improve their trade compensation -- they won't agree to pay a percentage that puts them on the hook for more than $17.5M. In other words, they are going to break even, at worst. Even then, I can't see them agreeing to pay a number close to $17.5 million so they are bound to save money.
2. Falcons releasing Kirk Cousins would've done another team a huge favor
I don't think we can say Kirk Cousins' career is over; he can still play at a high level, when healthy. If the Falcons had released him, a team would've been able to sign him for league minimum, much like the Steelers did with Russell Wilson last season.
Offset language in his contract means he would get paid the same amount if he were to sign a new contract. There would be no reason for Cousins to not sign for the league minimum. Each dollar he signs for takes a dollar off what the Falcons owe him; it would create a competitive advantage to sign for as little as possible.
Doing other teams a huge favor is never a good idea in a sport as competitive as football.
3. Falcons need to get something out of Kirk Cousins' awful contract
We know how poorly Kirk Cousins' contract has aged. It will go down as one of the worst contracts in NFL history -- possibly even the worst. Releasing him would've only been icing on a cake you don't want.
Holding onto Cousins allows you to land an extra draft pick or two. This helps lessen the blow, even if only slightly. At least then you could turn the contract into a draft pick that turns into a potential difference-maker.
Biting the bullet by releasing Kirk Cousins never made much sense -- the Falcons are smart to play the long game, even if Kirk is displeased.