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Falcons QB Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins’ future with the Atlanta Falcons remains unclear after the team finished the 2025 season outside of the playoff picture.
Following Atlanta’s 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints in the regular season finale, Cousins acknowledged that his status with the team may not be resolved until well into the offseason.
“Hard to know,” Cousins said when asked about his future. “I would like to keep playing, but we’ll see how things play out in March or even after that… I would love to be back here. We’ll see how things play out.”
That uncertainty became even more intriguing this week, when Cousins made an announcement that raised eyebrows across the league.
Cousins lands unexpected playoff TV role
GettyFalcons QB Kirk Cousins
On Wednesday, CBS announced that Kirk Cousins will serve as a guest studio analyst on “The NFL Today” during both the Divisional Round and the AFC Championship Game.
It’s a bit of an interesting move for a quarterback who insists he still wants to play, and one that immediately sparked speculation about what comes next.
Cousins will appear alongside Bill Cowher, Nate Burleson, James Brown, and Kyle Long, stepping into a role recently vacated by former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan left CBS last week to become Atlanta’s new president of football, adding another layer of symbolism to Cousins’ television debut.
The timing is hard to ignore… While Cousins has publicly expressed interest in returning for the 2026 season, his new media role offers a glimpse into a potential post-playing future or at the very least, an acknowledgment that his NFL path is no longer straightforward.
Atlanta’s future at QB
GettyFalcons QB Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins’ Falcons tenure has been anything but smooth.
The quarterback signed a four year, $180 million contract in 2024 with $100 million guaranteed only for the Atlanta Falcons to draft Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall that same spring. The move stunned many around the league, including Cousins himself, and set the stage for an awkward and unstable quarterback situation.
In Cousins’ first season with Atlanta, the Falcons benched him after 14 games while still in playoff contention. Penix then took over, accelerating a timeline the team never intended to move that quickly.
While he did get a chance to play more this season following Penix’s ACL injury, the results were underwhelming. And to make matters worse for Cousins, the Falcons appear increasingly committed to Michael Penix Jr. as their long term quarterback.
Now serving as Atlanta’s president of football, Ryan has made it clear that he supports Penix and is willing to help guide his development as he rehabs from ACL surgery.
“I’m not hired to come in and be the quarterback coach,” Ryan said, “but I love Mike and have gotten to know him through the last couple of years here in Atlanta. So, anything he needs from me, I’m a part of this organization and happy to help in any way that I can.”
Although Cousins has expressed a desire to keep playing and return to Atlanta, it appears unlikely that he will get that opportunity.
Garrett Klaus Garrett Klaus is a NFL contributor at Heavy.com, where he covers the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Carolina Panthers. More about Garrett Klaus
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