Why the Falcons are keeping Kirk Cousins on the roster for now

The Atlanta Falcons aren't letting quarterback Kirk Cousins leave the franchise for nothing, at least not right now.

Multiple reports surfaced on Saturday afternoon that the team doesn't plan to release Cousins before his 2026 $10 million roster bonus activates later in the day.

Despite going full steam ahead with 2024 first-round quarterback Michael Penix Jr. as the team's starter, Atlanta doesn't appear motivated to make any major decisions on Cousins for now.

Cousins recently made his intentions known to the franchise that he wants to start elsewhere in 2025, but the Falcons clearly want to get some draft compensation back from their expensive quarterback's next team through a trade.

The Falcons are going to end up paying Cousins a good bit of money in 2025 no matter what happens, so trading him and getting at least some compensation in return would make this process much more palatable for the team.

Plus, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo mentioned why the aforementioned 2026 roster bonus shouldn't be a big issue in the long run for Atlanta.

"The Falcons were never bluffing here," Garafolo reported. "The $10m for 2026 is subject to offset language, meaning whoever is paying him next year will pick up Atlanta’s tab for part or all of the guarantee. This deadline might cost Atlanta $0 in the end. Worth it to hold him and wait for a trade."

The #Falcons were never bluffing here. The $10m for 2026 is subject to offset language, meaning whoever is paying him next year will pick up Atlanta’s tab for part or all of the guarantee. This deadline might cost Atlanta $0 in the end. Worth it to hold him and wait for a trade. https://t.co/GmAcAujFub
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 15, 2025

Cousins has a no-trade clause in his deal, so he'd have to approve his next destination. However, the chance to start for a different team willing to meet Atlanta's demands might motivate him to sign off on any destination.

The worst-case scenario for Cousins is backing up Penix in the fall, and the worst-case scenario for the Falcons is paying Cousins all this money just for him not to show up for the season to come.

With Atlanta keeping Cousins around past his roster bonus going live, the odds are heightened that both sides should at least get part of what they want out of this situation.

Atlanta could probably find a trade destination for Cousins where he'd at least get to compete for a starting job, and Cousins should be able to eventually sport another team's jersey in 2025 ... but this being the NFL, you never know how this could end.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why the Falcons are keeping Kirk Cousins for now

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