Overview
- Atlanta and Kirk Cousins modified the final two years of his contract to add a $67.9 million 2027 guarantee that vests on March 13, per multiple reports.
- Cousins’ 2026 base salary drops from $35 million to $2.1 million, immediately lowering his 2026 cap charge without altering previously guaranteed money, including a $10 million roster bonus.
- The structure enables a post–June 1 release that would split dead money between 2026 and 2027, creating near‑term flexibility, according to OverTheCap’s analysis.
- Because the $67.9 million vests on March 13 and Cousins holds a no‑trade clause, reporters view a release before that date as the most likely outcome rather than a trade.
- The decision falls to a new coach and GM after Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot were fired, with Cousins saying he wants to keep playing as Michael Penix Jr. rehabs a late‑November ACL surgery; Cousins logged 1,721 yards, 10 TDs and 5 INTs in 10 games (eight starts) in 2025.