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Marc Raimondi
New Atlanta Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham informed Kirk Cousins recently that the team would release him on the first day of the league year, Cunningham said Tuesday morning on 92.9 The Game.
Cunningham said in the radio interview that he spoke with Cousins and his agent Mike McCartney about the decision, which does not come as a big surprise considering Cousins’ contract restructure several months ago. The first day of the league year is March 11.
Michael Penix Jr. just six weeks after signing him, which took Cousins by surprise. Cousins, coming off a torn Achilles in 2023, led the Falcons to a 6-3 start in 2024 before an arm injury hampered his performance. He went on a stretch of five games with nine interceptions. The Falcons benched Cousins in Week 16, committing to Penix as the quarterback of the present and future.
Cousins, a 14-year veteran, returned healthy in 2025, but the Falcons already made up their minds that Penix was their quarterback. There was no competition in training camp. But Penix tore his left ACL in Week 11 and Cousins started the rest of the way, including a four-game winning streak to close the season. The Falcons record in Cousins’ starts was 5-3 and their record in Penix’s starts was 3-6.
In 2025, Cousins completed 61.7% of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. His 47.6 QBR tied him at 22nd in the league with Bryce Young.
