Kirk Cousins’ time with the Atlanta Falcons is nearing its end. The franchise is reportedly set to cut the veteran quarterback before the start of the new league year in March.
This will conclude a rather muted tenure in Atlanta for Cousins. He was signed to a four-year, $180 million deal back in 2024, and just months later saw the organization draft Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick at the NFL Draft. That instantly put a ceiling on Cousins’ tenure with the Falcons, and he eventually made way for Penix in Week 16 of that year. Penix then started the first nine games of the 2025 season, but a torn ACL put him on season-ending IR and brought Cousins back into the fold as the starter.
Over his 10 appearances, the 37-year-old complted 61.7% of his passes with an 84.8 passer rating, while going 5-3 over his eight starts. While Cousins is certainly not at his apex, he’s a competent starter, which means he’ll have a market once he becomes a free agent following his pending release by the Falcons.
So, where could he end up? Let’s dive into a handful of possible landing spots.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The jury is still out on whether or not Aaron Rodgers will be back for his 22nd season in the NFL or if he’ll opt for retirement as he’s alluded to throughout the 2025 season. If he does call it quits, the Steelers aren’t in a strong position to find a quarterback of the future at the 2026 NFL Draft, owning the 21st overall pick. With that in mind, the front office could do what they’ve done over the last few offseasons and bring in veteran quarterbacks. They did it with Russell Wilson in 2024 and Aaron Rodgers last year, and it would seem like Cousins fits that similar profile they’ve targeted in the past. With Mike McCarthy now installed as head coach, Cousins’ skillset would also seem to fit his system pretty seamlessly.
Minnesota Vikings
Who says you can’t go back? The Minnesota Vikings are on the heels of firing general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, which was due, in part, to the team bungling their quarterback situation and picking 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy over Sam Darnold. With Adofo-Mensah, arguably McCarthy’s biggest proponent, out the door, it stands to wonder how strong the rising third-year quarterback’s footing is within the organization. After all, McCarthy finished last in completion percentage, TD-INT ratio, and passer rating in 2025. The Vikings will likely give McCarthy another shot to prove himself as the franchise centerpiece in 2026, but you better believe they’ll look for insurance if he falters yet again. Cousins, who played for the Vikings from 2018 to 2023, knows Kevin O’Connell’s system and could come in as a backup with the possibility to ascend as the starter if McCarthy proves to be a bust.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are widely expected to move on from Tua Tagovailoa this offseason as the organization is ushering in a new era with GM John-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley. In a perfect world, this reset for Miami would feature the franchise also bringing in a young quarterback, but this crop of signal-callers at the 2026 NFL Draft isn’t projected to have someone available to them, especially at No. 11 overall. Moreover, the Dolphins are currently projected to be roughly $16.4 million over the salary cap, and a looming departure of Tagovailoa will leave a lofty dead cap charge. That means they also don’t have the financial flexibility to bring in another higher-caliber, more expensive option that could become available, either, making Cousins a logical target as a short-term bridge quarterback.
New York Jets
The Jets are currently lost at sea and without a paddle when it comes to the quarterback position. The Justin Fields experiment in 2025 blew up in their face, and, while they possess the No. 2 overall pick at the 2026 NFL Draft, there will not be a quarterback worthy of that selection, particularly after Dante Moore decided to remain at Oregon. New York does have a projected $83.2 million in available cap space, so they could try to look for a higher-caliber quarterback, but if they strike out in that search, Cousins wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize. He could hold down the fort for 2026 and give the franchise some stability at that position, while they use their collection of first-round picks this spring to fill other needs along the roster.
San Francisco 49ers
You may not have expected to see the 49ers on this list, but let’s explain why this shouldn’t be ruled out. While we highlighted a few teams where Cousins could be a logical fit as a starter, there’s a possibility that a starting job is not available to him this offseason, leaving him with the option of going somewhere as a backup if he wants to continue playing. Meanwhile, Mac Jones, San Francisco’s current backup quarterback, impressed when coming in for the injured Brock Purdy this season, going 5-3 as the starter with a 97.4 passer rating over those appearances. The Niners are reportedly reluctant to trade Jones, but what if a team blows them out of the water? With Brock Purdy as the set-and-forget starter, you almost have to move Jones if a team comes in with a big offer.
If they do and the 49ers ship him out of the Bay Area, they suddenly need a backup. Enter: Kirk Cousins. One of the worst-kept secrets in the NFL is Kyle Shanahan’s affinity for Cousins after working with him as the OC in Washington for the first two years of his career. In fact, it was widely believed the 49ers were going to sign Cousins as a free agent in 2018, but traded for Jimmy Garoppolo before he reached the open market. Well, all these years later, Shanahan and Cousins could finally reunite, albeit with him as the backup.
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