Kirk Cousins' standing with the Atlanta Falcons has never been so uncertain...
Entering the Falcons' offseason, it appeared like his release was a foregone conclusion. He has an unnecessarily high cap hit in 2026 that should give this team zero reason to keep him around.
However, the hire of Kevin Stefanski has flipped everything on its head; suddenly, we have no idea what will happen to the veteran quarterback.
Kevin Stefanski hire could completely change the Falcons' 2026 quarterback plan
A large part of Terry Fontenot's firing was his decision to sign an injured Cousins to a $180 million deal. It has put the Falcons in a terrible spot financially, which will continue to haunt them for two more years, at least.
Key words: at least.
Stefanski enters the building with a strong history working with the veteran. The two started working together when Cousins signed his massive deal with the Minnesota Vikings in 2019 -- Stefanski was his quarterbacks coach.
Stefanski was later promoted to interim offensive coordinator and later ditched the interim tag. He helped lead Cousins to his second Pro Bowl in 2019, leading to a head coaching job with Cleveland.
If you remember, there was a lot of talk about the Browns trading for Cousins last offseason. They were reportedly interested, but Terry Fontenot's asking price was too high.
Stefanski has loved working with Cousins in the past, and now that they are reconnected, it is hard to imagine that the new Falcons head coach will let him go -- especially with Michael Penix Jr. potentially missing part of the season.
The issue is, keeping the 14-year vet around will count $35 million against the cap -- vital space that shouldn't be, once again, used on a short-term starter. Meanwhile, trading him would bring $12.1M in savings with the same figure in dead cap hits in 2026 and 2027.
$12.1M may not seem like much, but that is the price of a high-quality starter; it is close to the price of franchise tagging Kyle Pitts.
With big holes at the wide receiver position, that money could be used on landing a great No. 2 wideout opposite Drake London. Rashid Shaheed, Romeo Doubs, Christian Kirk, Deebo Samuel, and Alec Pierce will all be relatively close to that price range.
Finding a spot-starter for Penix Jr. won't be too hard. There are plenty of names -- steady veterans or high-upside passers -- scheduled to hit the market, like Tyrod Taylor, Trey Lance, Zach Wilson, and Malik Willis. You could even try to trade for Mac Jones.
Point being, Stefanski's past relationship with Cousins can't come into play when the new general manager decides what to do with him. While it is nice to have him, his lack of mobility and uneven play doesn't warrant his large cap hit.