Debating Pros and Cons of Latest Veteran QB Option for Dolphins

With the NFL’s free agency period approaching, we’re starting to learn which players will actually be available in a few weeks. And we recently got confirmation on one name who will be in the mix that Miami Dolphins fans should probably keep an eye on.

New Atlanta Falcons GM Ian Cunningham confirmed that the team would release QB Kirk Cousins on March 11, ahead of some of Cousins' 2027 guarantees vesting on March 13.

This was widely expected after the Falcons restructured Cousins’ deal not too long ago, but for the Dolphins, it’s important to monitor all developments in the quarterback market.

We’ve covered this ad nauseam, but the team needs a new franchise QB, and the market isn’t exactly overrun with great options. The free agent market has one good young player, the NFL draft is a one-QB class, and the trade market is filled with talented but very flawed passers.

All of that to say: The Dolphins might be forced into the veteran market, whether they like it or not. With that in mind, let’s consider the pros and cons of Cousins in Miami.

Why Cousins Makes Sense for Miami Dolphins

The most important consideration is cost. The Falcons will be footing the bill for most of Cousins’ salary, putting dead cap hits of $22.5 million and $12.5 million on their 2026 and 2027 cap sheet, respectively.

The Dolphins could bring Cousins in on a minimum contract, while Cousins still gets paid pretty well. One thing we know about Cousins, he will get his bag no matter what — he’s made that very clear throughout his career.

Usually, this would knock the Dolphins out of contention, but with Atlanta footing the bill, Cousins becomes a realistic option.

The other positive to consider is that Cousins is likely a good scheme fit.

While Bobby Slowik’s version of the offense is likely to be more Shanahan-inspired than Kevin O’Connell’s Sean McVay-inspired offense that he thrived under in Minnesota, those offenses also have a lot of similarities.

Cousins wouldn’t be learning a new language per se, just a different dialect. If you pair that with Cousins’ reputation as a good teammate and cerebral player, there’s also a good chance he could be an asset to any young QB the Dolphins bring in.

Whether that’s a late-round rookie pick, a trade piece, or Quinn Ewers, that’s a valuable enough piece of the puzzle to mention.

Why Cousins Doesn’t Make Sense For the Dolphins

Signing Cousins only doesn’t make sense within the framework that Miami should use all of its QB roster spots on players with the potential to become long-term starters.

Letting a veteran take snaps next season would directly remove opportunities for any young quarterback to prove they're a viable long-term option. It’s pretty clear this will be a rebuilding year for the Dolphins, so using this season to turn over as many rocks as possible at quarterback seems like a smart strategy.

At 37 years old, with his play already declining, there is a 0% chance that Cousins is the Dolphins’ long-term quarterback.

Cousins is probably still better than Ewers right this second, but is he so much better that it’s worth delaying Ewers’ development? Not even close.

This applies to any young QBs the Dolphins try to add this offseason. We’d argue it’s more valuable to find out if any of these young QBs can be long-term backups than whether Cousins has any juice left in the tank.

How many times have you seen a team in the Dolphins’ situation sign a veteran QB who obviously has no future with that team, only for them to get benched somewhere between the four to eight week mark?

It happens all the time, and it limits the evaluation period for a young QB. Miami needs all the information on young passers possible, and Cousins would get in the way of that.