When the Atlanta Falcons signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a massive four-year, $180 million contract in March 2024, few envisioned things looking so bleak less than a year later. Cousins went 7-7 as a starter in his first season in Atlanta but struggled in the second half, eventually being benched in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr.
Now Atlanta’s second choice at quarterback, Cousins is widely expected to be wearing a different team’s colors next season. If his late-season form is anything to go on, though, he won’t attract many trade suitors. Yet, there may be an explanation for the veteran’s dip in production.
Kirk Cousins Claims Injury Was To Blame for Late-Season Struggles
Appearing on “Good Morning Football,” Cousins claimed that he took a hit in the team’s Week 10 game against the New Orleans Saints, which affected him down the stretch. The Falcons went into that game with a 6-3 record but lost four straight contests.
Asked by host Jamie Erdahl whether he was affected by the Achilles injury that ended his 2023 season, Cousins acknowledged that no NFL player is ever feeling 100%.
“We were six and three, (I) was playing well, doing a lot of good things even if the right ankle wasn’t perfect,” Cousins said. “You know nobody’s perfect in this league, we’re never feeling 100%.”
Kirk Cousins admitted for the first time today on Good Morning Football that he took a hit during the #Falcons Week 10 game against the Saints and hurt his right shoulder and elbow. That game was the start of Atlanta's four-game losing streak.
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) February 4, 2025
The veteran quarterback finished as the league’s 24th-best passer by PFN’s QB+ metric.
“It didn’t really affect me too much but then, against the Saints, got hit pretty good in my right shoulder and elbow,” Cousins continued.
“That was something I was working through and could just never really get it to where I wanted it.”
There’s no way the Falcons could upset me when they’re in Cabo right now.
Kirk Cousins:
pic.twitter.com/wuK7DIt5Jb— Carrie (@carrielynnxox) February 4, 2025
Far from giving up on himself after a difficult year, Cousins has his sights set on what he believes should be some productive years in the twilight of his career.
“Now that the season’s over you have the time and the energy to say ‘Okay, let’s get the right ankle back, let’s get the shoulder back, let’s get the elbow back.’ And if I can do that, I feel like I’ve got a new life ahead of me here in pro football.”
What Next For Kirk Cousins?
Cousins’ considerable salary means that he is very unlikely to attract significant trade interest, especially given his disappointing end to the 2024 season. The most likely outcome may be cutting the quarterback with a post-June 1 designation. Atlanta would accrue $65 million in dead money, $40 million of which will count against them in 2025 (per Over the Cap).
Such a scenario would allow Cousins to play for another team for the veteran’s minimum of just over $1 million, as we saw with Russell Wilson with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. That arrangement would leave Atlanta with the bill for Cousins’ guaranteed money through 2027, but the Falcons have Penis to turn to on a rookie contract.
Approximately a quarter of the league needs a new passer for the 2025 season, and a shortage of starter-level talent at the position in the upcoming draft class exacerbates that issue. Cousins should therefore find himself another starting job in the offseason, even if his future remains cloudy for now.