At the official start of the new league year, the Atlanta Falcons will officially turn the page to a new era.
With a new head coach in Kevin Stefanski already at the helm, the Falcons will hand the ball, and also the keys to the franchise, to Michael Penix Jr.
In news most expected, Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham confirmed the team’s plan to release veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins while on Atlanta’s Audacity station 929 The Game.
“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 (h/t NFL.com). “We just felt that that was out of respect for Kirk and Mike, his agent, and what’s he’s done in his career, just that we owe that to him to allow him some clarity going into free agency.”
Cousins will be released immediately upon league’s calendar flipping to the 2026 offseason on March 11 at 4 p.m. ET.
Kirk Cousins’ time in Atlanta was just a waste of money
The move close a chapter on a two-year period that will mostly be viewed as a waste of money by Falcons fans. Cousins earned $100M of the four-year, $180 million deal he signed with Atlanta as a free agent in 2024.