Will Kirk Cousins get yet one more payday?

[ad_1] On Thursday night time, Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins did it once more to the Buccaneers, beating them for the third straight time since signing with Atlanta. And it was one other Thursday night time masterclass, following final yr's franchise-record 509 passing yards with 373 and three touchdowns in a 29-28 win.

The newest string of Cousins begins wasn't purported to occur. He returned to the position of QB1 after the Falcons misplaced Michael Penix Jr. for the season. And whereas Cousins's performances in seven 2025 video games have been blended, there's one thing to be mentioned for displaying up underneath the lights towards a crew that's making an attempt to win the division crown.

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Here is the query for Cousins and the Falcons. What occurs subsequent yr?

Underneath the four-year deal Cousins signed in 2024, the Falcons owe Cousins $45 million in 2026. Already, $10 million of it's totally assured.

It is broadly believed he'll be launched. With the assured cost topic to offset, Cousins will doubtless make greater than $10 million on the open market. Particularly after Thursday night time, throughout which he confirmed he nonetheless can carry out at a excessive stage. That will enable the Falcons to keep away from the additional $10 million they're already required to pay him on the fifth day of the 2026 league yr.

He has already earned a bronze bust within the broken-bank Corridor of Fame, with $321 million in profession earnings by way of 2025. And he has confirmed to be a shrewd businessman, regardless that his first foray into free company was unavoidable; the Commanders had been keen to tag him twice, however they weren't inclined to supply him a commensurate long-term deal.

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Cousins opted for the Falcons largely as a result of they put multi-year monetary safety on the desk, with $90 million totally assured over two seasons. (The Vikings needed to go yr to yr.) With the Falcons unlikely to pay him one other $45 million, which might push his three-year haul to $135 million, he'll doubtless be a free agent, for the third time.

Cousins might be hitting the market at an excellent time. The availability of veterans with beginning expertise will not meet the demand. Somebody will contemplate making a run on the 37-year-old.

Groups that can (or at the very least might) be in search of a possible QB1 embody the Jets, Steelers, Browns, Bengals (if Joe Burrow's latest feedback portend an exit from Cincinnati), Colts, Raiders, Saints, and Cardinals.

Then there's the Vikings, who want a viable veteran different to J.J. McCarthy, within the occasion the cork by no means comes out of the bottle for him. Would they wish to convey Cousins again? Would he be inclined to return?

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It is also doable he'll keep in Atlanta underneath a reworked contract, particularly with the jury nonetheless out on Penix, the eighth general choose within the 2025 draft.

Nonetheless it performs out, Cousins will doubtless receives a commission out one other sizable contract. Whereas it certainly will not be market stage, Justin Fields acquired $20 million per yr from the Jets in 2025. That must be the ground for Cousins, who might ultimately creep towards $400 million in profession earnings.