Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins‘ future seemed uncertain with his contract forcing the Atlanta Falcons‘ hand.
ESPN’s Field Yates reported on January 6 that Cousins and the Falcons restructured his contract to make parting ways with him easier on the 2026 cap sheet. That decision was made after Atlanta fired its general manager and head coach.
But with Kevin Stefanski taking the helm of the Falcons, another ESPN report has breathed new life into Cousins’ tenure in Atlanta.
NFC Executive Predicts Falcons to Keep Cousins Amid Vikings QB Uncertainty
In a January 20 article, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler spoke with an NFC executive who said he believes Cousins will stay with the Falcons just as he was surfacing as a potential fix to the Vikings’ quarterback questions for the upcoming season.
“The sense for a while has been that Cousins’ time in Atlanta was short — especially when both sides restructured his contract that includes $67.9 million in 2027 salary, vesting March 13,” Fowler wrote. The Falcons will want nothing to do with that number. But contracts can be amended — or players can be cut and re-signed — and the arrival of coach Kevin Stefanski could make keeping Cousins at least mildly tempting as a bridge option.”
Stefanski and Cousins have history.
As the Vikings’ offensive coordinator in 2019, Stefanski orchestrated one of Cousins’ best seasons. The veteran quarterback threw for 3,603 yards, 26 touchdowns, six interceptions and posted a career-high 107.4 passer rating with Stefanski at the controls.
For that reason, and Michael Penix Jr. expected to miss the beginning of the 2026 season, Atlanta may be better off keeping Cousins for next season.
“[The Falcons] bet on Michael Penix not getting hurt, and he got hurt,” an NFC executive told Fowler. “Penix had the ACL in his left knee repaired in November, his fifth major surgery dating back to college.
“They are going to need somebody early in the season due to the injury, and Cousins played OK for them late last year. It seems Cousins has always respected Kevin. Both sides have a decent option in their back pockets,” the executive added.
Kirk Cousins Teases That He Expects to Test NFL Free Agency
Cousins said the quiet part out loud after Atlanta’s season concluded.
In a postgame interview following a 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints to close the regular season, Cousins was asked if he would return for a 15th NFL season.
“We’ll see what the market is like in March”, he replied.
That comment signaled that Cousins expected he would be released before free agency opens in mid-March. Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot were fired days later, and the restructure followed soon after.
Stefanski’s arrival in Atlanta has seemingly left Cousins staying on the table. Atlanta has a loaded offense that had to weather quarterback uncertainty with Penix.
While Penix was chosen as the team’s starter for the 2026 season, Cousins proved he still has plenty left in the tank, winning five of his seven final starts after Penix suffered a season-ending ACL midseason.
Owner Arthur Blank was adamant that Penix was still Atlanta’s quarterback moving forward, but Stefanski could view Cousins as the better option to maximize the team’s playoff potential in 2026.
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