Kirk Cousins’ TNF Revival Raises Big Questions for Falcons’ 2026 Plans

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons toppled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, despite a 28-14 fourth-quarter deficit and an incredible 19 committed penalties. A driving force in the win may have just thrown a wrench into the plans of the front office.

Kirk Cousins completed 30-of-44 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns, with 217 of those coming in the second half of the 29-28 win. He made critical, big-time throws and effectively willed his team to a victory.

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Cousins was simply outstanding in this game, a continuation of his incredible run of dominance against the Buccaneers since coming to Atlanta before the 2024 season.

“He’s got his confidence back. Got a lot of stuff back,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. “He feels a lot better, playing a lot better, playing a lot faster, second year in the system for him. He looks good, and I'm extremely proud of him.”

Through his four unexpected starts this season after the Michael Penix Jr. injury, he is 2-2 and has averaged 242 yards per game with six touchdowns and three interceptions.

The resurgence has been nice to see, but still far short of what the team was hoping for when they signed Cousins, who will be 38 years old next fall, to a four-year, $180 million deal in 2024.

They effectively constructed the commitment as a two-year guaranteed contract and carry an out ahead of the 2026 season. After being benched last year, it looked like there was no way he would be a Falcon after that date, if not sooner.

However, with Penix’s 2026 status in question after his season-ending knee injury and the potential need for another option, the question that may come to mind in Flowery Branch becomes whether their insurance policy for this season could be retained for next fall.

The veteran carries a $57.5 million cap hit in both 2026 and 2027, but that is where it gets a little bit complicated.

Cousins’ dead cap hit is $35 million if he is released pre-June 1st ($22.5 million in savings) compared to a spread-out dead cap hit of $22.5 million in 2026 and $12.5 million in 2027 if he is released post-June 1st ($35 million in savings). He also carries a roster bonus of $10 million that would become fully guaranteed on the 5th league day of the new season, but that would also be offset if he made more than that on the open market.

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The front office now finds itself with three options: they could take on the 2026 portion of the contract, sign a re-worked deal, or release him.

For a long time, he felt like an obvious cut candidate, but now the Cousins situation may not be as simple a decision as previously thought. The veteran is going to be expensive, no matter if he is in Atlanta or somewhere else, and he also showed on Thursday that he could still perform at a level that can help the Falcons win football games.

If the Falcons opted to retain him, it would allow them to bring Penix along slowly from the third knee injury of his football career. It would also allow them to avoid needing to bring in a free agent quarterback who would likely be a lesser option than the player they already have in the building.

If the Falcons stomached the contract again in 2026, they could always release Cousins in 2027 and save a lot towards their cap. That dead cap hit would shrink to $12.5 million ($45 million saved), no matter if it came before or after June 1st.

However, Cousins could be inclined to go somewhere else in 2026, and the Falcons will have several other expiring contracts or extensions that they could be looking to sign this offseason. There will also be a need for quarterbacks this offseason, with several teams potentially being in the market for a signal-caller.

There is still plenty of runway left in the year for Cousins to help the Falcons make a decision, but he will still have a ways to go before anything becomes a clear decision. Before Thursday, he had averaged just 198.3 yards per game and had thrown three touchdowns and three interceptions – his poor performance against the Seahawks comes to mind.

But the perception of the veteran has taken on new life after his performance in Tampa, and he will have three games left to continue with his 2026 audition.