Kirk Cousins ended his 14-game tenure as the Atlanta Falcons‘ starting quarterback in disappointment — but with a newfound reason that inspires personal hope for his future.
Cousins, who signed a four-year contract worth up to $180 million with the Falcons last spring, said in an appearance Monday on Good Morning Football that he suffered injuries to his shoulder and elbow in a Week 10 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
The game started a stretch of four consecutive losses. Atlanta snapped its skid with a 15-9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15, but Cousins threw for just 112 yards. He was benched for rookie first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. the next day.
Now, Cousins is expected to search for a new job this spring. He feels regardless of where he lands, he’ll be able to play at a high level — as long as he gets back healthy.
“I definitely still feel like I have a lot of good football left in me,” Cousins said. “Time will tell. It’s still kind of uncertain. We’ll get to March and know a lot more. I think the focus for me, really, is getting healthy. That’s really my focus, is I got to get healthy. I’m no good to the Falcons — I’m not good to a team — if I’m not feeling really good.
“That’s really where my focus has been through January and February now that the season’s wound down. Really taking all the time I can to get my body feeling really good.”
In his lone season as Atlanta’s starter, the 36-year-old Cousins completed 66.9% of his passes for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, which led the NFL at the time of his benching. It was his first year removed from a torn Achilles suffered in Week 8 of 2023.
Cousins feels his Achilles recovered well, and he’s not giving much attention to the idea he’s too limited athletically to keep playing.
“I used to ask this question to coaches: ‘Hey, do I need to be a scrambler to make it in this league long-term?'” Cousins said. “And coaches always say, ‘No, Kirk. You have to be able to throw from the pocket with accuracy no matter what.’
“While the ability to scramble and do other things is a nice trait to have, ultimately, the whole thing is built on: can you, from the pocket, throw with accuracy and make great decisions? That really is the trait we all have to have, so that’s kind of always been what I lean on.”
The Falcons have three options with Cousins: keep him as Penix’s backup, release him or trade him. If Cousins is still on the roster March 17, he’s due a $10 million bonus. Atlanta is expected to part ways with Cousins in some capacity, though general manager Terry Fontenot said he’s “comfortable” with keeping the four-time Pro Bowler on the roster.
No matter, Cousins and Atlanta could be headed to an ugly split — one rooted in differing beliefs of the signal caller’s current capabilities.
“But yeah, I still think I have good football left in me,” Cousins emphasized
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