Kirk Cousins’ tenure with the Atlanta Falcons is set to officially end at the start of the new league year.
General manager Ian Cunningham announced Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine that Atlanta plans to release the veteran quarterback on March 11.
“I did talk to Kirk and his representation, Mike McCartney, letting them know that we will release him on the first day of the league year,” Cunningham said. “We just felt that that was out of respect for Kirk and Mike, his agent, and what he’s done in his career, just that we owe that to him to allow him some clarity going into free agency.”
The move had been widely anticipated. Cousins and the Falcons recently restructured the four-year, $180 million contract he signed in 2024, a step that signaled Atlanta’s intention to create salary-cap flexibility this offseason.
Cousins, who said earlier this month that he felt “rejuvenated,” started the final seven games of the 2025 season after Michael Penix Jr. suffered a partially torn ACL. He led the Falcons to a 5-2 record during that stretch, offering stability down the stretch of the campaign.
Penix is progressing through his rehab and, according to Cunningham, is “where he should be” and on track in his recovery. Still, Falcons president of football Matt Ryan has stopped short of fully committing to Penix as the team’s Week 1 starter in 2026, leaving some uncertainty at the position.
One certainty is that new head coach Kevin Stefanski will begin his tenure in Atlanta without Cousins, who earned his second Pro Bowl under Stefanski during their time together with the Minnesota Vikings.
As Cousins approaches his 38th birthday and a potential 15th NFL season, the veteran quarterback will once again enter free agency — this time with the benefit of clarity well before the market opens.
