Kirk Cousins Addresses Elephant in the Room for 2026 Season

ATLANTA, Ga. -- Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons can no longer earn a playoff berth this season. But that doesn't mean there's nothing to play for the rest of the campaign.

Falcons players are performing to earn jobs for 2026 -- whether that's a role in Atlanta or elsewhere. Cousins is no exception.

Trade rumors swirled around the 37-year-old for months over the offseason. That's likely to occur again beginning this January with Cousins playing well in his starting opportunity over the past month.

But whether or not he's playing his final month with the Falcons is not a conversation Cousins is ready to have.

"I think those are kind of March questions. We're in December, we just have to play our schedule here, get through this, the next three games and understand that if you play football well, and if you win, those kinds of conversations will take care of themselves," Cousins told SI in an exclusive interview. "The challenge is if you don't get the job done here and now in December, then you don't give yourself the options come the spring.

"My focus is on these next three weeks, and then we will have those March conversations in March."

Kirk Cousins Defers Question About 2026

With the Falcons, it's easy to begin looking ahead because they've been eliminated from the playoffs. But there's a lot to be sorted out before the organization and quarterback make a decision on 2026.

The first question looming over the Falcons is will head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot remain in their positions? Morris has posted a 34-56 record in his career as an NFL head coach, which includes a 13-18 mark since returning to the Falcons last season.

Under Morris, the Falcons are 7-15 since Nov. 10, 2024.

If the team moves on from Morris, will Fontenot follow? The Falcons have yet to post a winning record with Fontenot as GM. Fontenot has already hired two head coaches, and he will likely be under fire in the media the entire spring for trading the organization's 2026 first-round pick.

Cousins possesses two years left on the contract he signed in March 2024. However, there's a potential out in his deal this upcoming spring.

The Falcons will save $35 million in cap space if they release Cousins. Should he remain on the roster, the 37-year-old will have a $57 million cap hit.

That's obviously a major salary dedication for a backup quarterback. There's no guarantee, though, that Michael Penix Jr., who will be recovering from ACL surgery this offseason, will be ready for the start of the 2026 campaign.

Because of the huge cap hit, the signs point to the Falcons releasing Cousins. But these variables, particularly who is making the roster decisions in Atlanta, will have a significant impact on whether Cousins returns to Atlanta for a third season.

The quarterback isn't ready to talk about them, at least what he would like his future to entail, until the offseason.

Cousins Giving Back Through Mercedes-Benz 'Holidays for Love' Campaign

In a separate part of his conversation with SI, Cousins stressed that because of his family ties to Georgia, he will likely continue to spend a lot of time in Atlanta after his football career. This holiday season, the quarterback is showing love for the Atlanta community through a partnership with Mercedes-Benz.

The car company announced on Dec. 10 it is donating 12 eSprinter vans as part of a December campaign called, "Holidays with Love." Twelve ambassadors will give away the vans to the organization of their choice.

One of those 12 ambassadors, Cousins is donating one eSprinter van to City of Refuge in Atlanta.

"Julie and I have been down there to the campus and met the staff," Cousins said about City of Refuge. "I was able to read the book on Bruce Deel who founded City of Refuge. I can go on and on about the work they do. I just really like their model.

"I like his heart as the leader, and I like the proven model of it. It's been a really great organization."

Just a few blocks away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, City of Refuge "seeks to lead individuals and families on an uninterrupted journey to self-sufficiency." The program focuses on improving health and wellness, housing, job training and youth development to help Atlanta individuals and families.

The "Holidays with Love" concept at Mercedes-Benz is two years old. Bijan Robinson and Matt Ryan are two other ambassadors this year.

Robinson and Ryan selected Atlanta Public Schools and Raising Expectations Inc., respectively, as their organizations to receive the Mercedes eSprinter van.