Quarterback Kirk Cousins remains a member of the Falcons, but that will not be the case for much longer.
The Falcons reworked Cousins’s contract to move the bulk of his 2026 salary to 2027 and set up a vesting date of March 13 that would guarantee him $67.9 million for the 2027 season. The size of that guarantee set the stage for Cousins to be released before that date and General Manager Ian Cunningham confirmed that is what is going to happen on Tuesday.
Cunningham said on 92.9 The Game that the Falcons have told Cousins that they will release him when the new league year begins on March 11.
“Obviously, the contract structure allows that to occur,” Cunningham said.
Designating Cousins as a post-June 1 cut will allow the Falcons to spread out his remaining cap hit over the next two years and the move will allow Cousins to hit the open market at the start of free agency. Cunningham’s announcement also lets teams looking for quarterback help know that Cousins will definitely be available and that will allow them to make plans with that in mind.
