NFL News: Kirk Cousins Reportedly Expected to Be Cut by Falcons; Move 'Is Inevitable'

After being benched earlier this week, Kirk Cousins' stint with the Atlanta Falcons will barely last 12 months.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Cousins and the Falcons moving in different directions is "inevitable" with a release expected to be finalized before he is owed a $10 million roster bonus on March 17.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris announced on Tuesday that rookie Michael Penix Jr. would be the starter "moving forward."

Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons on March 13, the first day of the 2024 league year. The deal included $100 million in guaranteed money.

Atlanta's hope was that Cousins would provide stability at the quarterback position after the previous two years with Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder didn't produce positive results.

It was certainly a risky bet because Cousins was coming off a torn Achilles suffered in Week 8 of the 2023 season. He looked limited at the start of this season before a really good five-game stretch in the middle of the year.

Cousins threw for 1,464 yards, 13 touchdowns and completed 72.2 percent of his attempts from Weeks 5-9. His five games since then have been awful with 1,180 yards, one touchdown, nine interceptions and a 62.7 completion percentage.

The Falcons went from seeming like a virtual playoff lock with a 6-3 record and a three-game lead in the NFC South plus the tiebreaker over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They proceeded to lose four straight games before an ugly 15-9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15.

There's still a chance the Falcons win the division, but they will need the Bucs to lose at least one of their final three games for that to happen.

Releasing Cousins will cost the Falcons $65 million in dead money, though they can spread that across two seasons by designating him as a post-June 1 cut to ease the burden.

It will be interesting to see what happens next for Cousins. He did show enough over a multi-week stretch this season to suggest he's still capable of being a good starting option, but the way things fell off a cliff with no obvious warning sign complicates matters.

Cousins, who will turn 37 on Aug. 19, might have to accept a backup job or at least go into a situation where he has to compete to be a starter in 2025.