Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has been with the Atlanta Falcons since 2024, signing a four-year, $180 million contract with the team at the time, according to Spotrac research.
But, before Cousins joined the Falcons, he already had a long history in the NFL playing for the Vikings and Washington. The Washington Redskins, now the Commanders, drafted Cousins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft as the 102nd overall pick out of Michigan State University, and he went on to become a franchise quarterback for three NFL teams.
Now, Cousins is on target to be released from the Falcons. On Tuesday, February 24, new Atlanta Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham said that the franchise has informed Kirk Cousins that they would release him on the first day of the league year, during an interview on 92.9 The Game. The first day of the league year is March 11, so it’s coming up soon.
“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,” Marc Raimondi states in an ESPN feature about the move.
So, Cousins will be a free agent, but amid that bad news he’s also getting good career news. So the former Vikings quarterback can be happy going into his period of uncertainly.
Former Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Kirk Cousins Gets Good Career News
Even if Cousins never plays football again, he won’t be hurting. In fact, he’s almost tied who’s considered the greatest quarterback in the history of the sport in compensation.
According to research from NFL analyst Warren Sharp, Cousins has made $322 million in his NFL career. While that’s a lot of bag, what makes the number even sweeter is that he’s neck-and-neck with Tom Brady in NFL career earnings.
According to the statistics, Brady has made $333 in his NFL career, just slightly above Cousins. Aaron Rodgers is at $395 million, and Matthew Stafford is No. 1 at $403 million.
Cousins has just one playoff win to his name, while the others have multiple and, of course, championship wins, so it really shows Cousins’ value, even without playoff appearances. It also shows that perhaps he wasn’t surround by the best cast of characters.
Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons to Cut Ties on March 11
So, according to Cunningham, Cousins and the Falcons will part ways on March 11. It’s not how Cousins wanted to see it go down, according to the player. The team wrapped up their final game of the season on Sunday, January 4, with a win over the New Orleans Saints and a 19-17 final score, and after the win, he expressed interest in staying with the franchise.
Speaking to reporters, he said, “Hard to know. 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.”
During the 2025-26 season with the Falcons, Cousins completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 passing touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 games, according to NFL research. He also clocked one rushing touchdown.
Ex-Vikings QB Kirk Cousins Gets Notable Career News