Kirk Cousins Won’t Rush To Sign With New Team

NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo says not to expect Falcons QB Kirk Cousins to rush to sign a new contract once he’s released next week. 

CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones echoes the same report, noting there was not a lot of buzz about Cousins at the Combine. He says Cousins clearly felt burned by how his time with the Falcons unfolded, and that will influence his approach. He will proceed carefully to find the best opportunity for a starting job. 

Garafolo adds Cousins could wait a couple of weeks into free agency, he could wait until after the draft, or he could even wait until closer to the season if it becomes a situation where the only starting job that opens is due to injury. 

There’s been natural buzz about a reunion with the Vikings for Cousins, but it doesn’t quite seem like he’s the top option for Minnesota. The Falcons have not ruled out bringing him back either. 

Cousins, 37, is a former fourth-round pick of Washington back in 2012. He played out the final year of his rookie contract before being franchised in back-to-back seasons. 

Cousins later departed in free agency for a three-year, $84 million contract with the Vikings. He was entering the final year of his contract in 2020 when he agreed to a two-year, $66 million contract extension. In 2021, he agreed to a new one-year, $35 million contract extension that was also fully guaranteed.

He was in the final year of that deal in 2023 and was testing the market as an unrestricted free agent when signing with the Falcons this offseason. He inked a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million in guaranteed money. 

In 2025, Cousins appeared in 10 games for the Falcons, starting eight, and completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.

We’ll have more on Cousins as the news is available.