The Kirk Cousins saga won’t truly be over until the Falcons have cleared his $12.5 million dead money charge for 2027, but we’re putting the era in the rear view mirror nonetheless. The latest step? Cousins signing what’s effectively a one-year deal with the Raiders, with some cap shenanigans that could make it a two-year pact if he ends up shining and Las Vegas is willing to pony up.
The headline from a Falcons perspective is that the signing, which is for $1.3 million in base salary and carries
a few nice perks, will give Atlanta $1.3 million in salary cap relief against the $10 million roster bonus they owed him. That essentially means they get Tua Tagovailoa’s salary for 2026 (also $1.3 million) back, and will be paying $8.7 million instead. As mentioned before, they’ll also have $12.5 million in dead money next year, but as of right now that’s set to be their only dead money impacting the cap. They’re carrying $22.5 million in dead money this year, however.
It’s not a clean break, in other words, but after two seasons of largely forgettable football alongside a few moments of brilliance, the Falcons and Cousins have moved on. Cousins will get to mentor and compete with another young quarterback in Fernando Mendoza—that’s the expectation, anyways—and the Falcons will get a good look at whether either Michael Penix Jr. or Tua can be their quarterback of the near future. I’m certain both sides are happy to be moving in a different direction.
