Overview
- The rework drops Cousins’ 2026 base salary from $35 million to $2.1 million and shifts $32.9 million into 2027, without changing existing guarantees.
- Teams are unlikely to trade for Cousins before March because the 2027 guarantee would vest, and his deal includes a no‑trade clause, per multiple reports.
- Atlanta can designate a pre‑March release as post‑June 1, splitting dead money across 2026 and 2027 and easing near‑term cap pressure.
- The move gives immediate cap flexibility to a franchise that just fired coach Raheem Morris and GM Terry Fontenot and must navigate Michael Penix Jr.’s ACL rehab.
- Cousins, 37, said he wants to keep playing and would love to remain in Atlanta; he started eight games in 2025 and went 5–3 with 1,721 yards, 10 TDs and five INTs.