Kirk Cousins‘ time with the Falcons has hit its expiration date.
He is expected to be released before the start of the new league year on March 11, according to multiple reports.
This will end Cousins’ time with the Falcons, which has been full of ups and downs. He signed a four-year, $180 million deal back in 2024. However, months later, Atlanta drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL Draft, which set a clock on Cousins’ tenure with the club.
In two seasons, Cousins played in 24 games for the Falcons. He threw for 5,229 yards, 28 touchdowns and 21 interceptions during that span.
Penix eventually became Atlanta’s starting quarterback late in the 2024 season after Cousins was benched. However, after Penix tore his ACL nine games into the 2025 season, Cousins once again became the Falcons’ starter.
Last month, Cousins agreed to modify the deal he signed in 2024. The altered contract gave Atlanta salary-cap flexibility, allowing them to release him.
At 37, Cousins’ most productive years are likely behind him. But he is still a competent starter who will attract significant interest around the league. The question is, should the Jets be one of those teams vying for Cousins’ services?
“You don’t really know what’s going to happen come March,” Cousins said via NFL.com. “I’ve learned that February is really quiet, which is really nice. You just kind of go away and disappear and go sit on a beach and then you know that March is coming. My agent, Mike McCartney, has kind of always handled that. We’re on the phone a lot in March. It’s kind of been a rite of passage every March. Mike and I are talking all the time. My wife knows, ‘Mike McCartney’s calling. Can I disappear for a while?’
“But that’ll come in March and we’ll see where it goes.”
The Jets are in a conundrum regarding the quarterback situation. They will almost certainly release Justin Fields following a failed experiment after signing him to a two-year, $40 million contract last March.
After finishing a disappointing 3-14 in Aaron Glenn’s first season as coach, the Jets will select second in April’s draft. But there’s not a quarterback worthy of picking that high after Indiana quarterback and 2025 Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza is expected to be taken by the Raiders with the No. 1 overall pick.
The Jets will have 10 draft picks in the 2025 NFL Draft and they could draft a young quarterback in the second round. But that rookie likely won’t be ready to start right away. This is where a player like Cousins can come in as a stopgap quarterback until their rookie is ready to play.
“I feel good about that offensive line,” Jets general manager Darren Mougey said last month about their supporting cast surrounding the quarterback position. “I think that’s a strength of ours, it’s a young group.
“I think, with continuity in the group, they’ll only continue to get better. I think we’ve got a young tight end, I think we’ve got a good tight end room. Obviously, we’ve got Garrett [Wilson], we’ve got Breece [Hall], we’ve got a good stable of backs, so I feel good about the offensive support on that side of the ball.”
The Jets have endured 15 consecutive non-playoff seasons, mainly due to their quarterback instability.
Gang Green was severely lacking after the Fields’ signing backfired on them. He ranked 34th out of 42 quarterbacks in Total QBR (38.8), with only seven touchdown passes, 1,259 passing yards and one interception.
Cousins may not be the same player that he once was, but the Jets don’t need him to be. They just need him to be a point guard in the pocket of an ascending offensive line, who can avoid mistakes and provide immediate stability, accurate passing, and leadership.
Cousins and new Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich have never officially worked together during their time in the league. But while he was with the Vikings, they won after trailing by 33 points in a Week 15 game in 2022.
Reich reportedly texted Cousins to congratulate him afterwards. The Bills and Reich were the previous owners of the NFL’s largest comeback after Buffalo erased a 35–3 deficit to defeat the Houston Oilers in the 1993 AFC Wild Card game.
Cousins has said he remains “rejuvenated” and is looking forward to returning for a 15th season in 2026. He should have a lot of interest, but the Jets would guarantee him a starting spot at least for the 2026 season.
The question is, how many other teams will be interested in Cousins outside the Jets?
