The Atlanta Falcons believed they were opening a potential Super Bowl window when they signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal during the 2024 NFL offseason.
Two years later, Atlanta is expected to release Cousins, as USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon reports.
Where will Cousins go next? The 37-year-old should have plenty of options should he decide to play a 15th NFL season. Here’s a look at some of the veteran’s best fits as he prepares to hit free agency for the third time in his career.
Kirk Cousins landing spots
Minnesota Vikings
Cousins spent six seasons with the Vikings from 2018-23 before joining the Falcons. Could a reunion be in store between the two parties in 2026?
Minnesota is widely expected to bring in a veteran quarterback to challenge J.J. McCarthy for the starting job ahead of the 2024 first-round pick’s third season. Cousins would be a natural fit given that he thrived in Kevin O’Connell’s offense across his final two years with the Vikings.
Cousins started 25 games under O’Connell’s tutelage and posted a 17-8 record. He completed 67.1% of his passes for 6,878 yards, 47 touchdowns and 19 interceptions and was playing at an MVP level before a torn Achilles prematurely ended his 2023 season.
Cousins would be an ideal mentor for McCarthy and could serve as a solid stopgap if the 23-year-old’s struggles continue into the 2026 season. And ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported in a recent appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ the 37-year-old quarterback hasn’t ruled out returning to Minnesota.
‘I asked Kirk about Minnesota last week, and I didn’t get a no, but I didn’t get a yes,’ Schefter said. ‘It’s possible, but there are a lot of things out there that are possible with him.’
Pittsburgh Steelers
While the Vikings would offer Cousins familiarity, he might not have a chance to start ahead of McCarthy. That could lead the veteran to look for a fourth team ahead of his age-38 season, and the Steelers could be a reasonable landing spot.
Pittsburgh has been searching for a franchise quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired at the end of the 2021 NFL season. Cousins wouldn’t be a long-term option for the team, but he could represent a high-floor stopgap for new coach Mike McCarthy.
Of course, Cousins’ candidacy with the Steelers will depend on whether the team brings back Aaron Rodgers for a second season. NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reports ‘odds are increasing’ for Rodgers to return to Pittsburgh in 2026 after helping the Steelers win the AFC North.
Rodgers and McCarthy worked together for 13 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, so that may make the 42-year-old McCarthy’s preferred aging quarterback to trust.
New York Jets
The Jets once again find themselves in a tough position evaluating their options at quarterback. They landed the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which looked good until Dante Moore decided to return to Oregon for another season.
The Jets could still consider a quarterback like Ty Simpson with one of their two first-round picks, but adding a veteran stopgap like Cousins would take pressure off them as they evaluate the draft. That would give them leeway to pass on Simpson if they aren’t interested in the Alabama product and use the team’s two top-16 picks to address their many other areas of need.
For Cousins, this would be a marriage of convenience more than anything. The Jets represent Cousins’ best opportunity to both get paid – they have the fourth-most cap space for the 2026 season, per OverTheCap.com – and have a shot at starting during the 2026 season, so perhaps he can sell himself on pairing with Aaron Glenn and Frank Reich.
Cleveland Browns
It won’t necessarily be easy for the Browns to make a play for Cousins. They have a lot of money tied up at quarterback presently, as the final season of Deshaun Watson’s five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract carries an astronomical $80.7 million cap hit.
Still, the Browns can’t be ruled out of the potential Cousins sweepstakes. They could use a solid, veteran quarterback to compete with Watson and Shedeur Sanders for their starting job, and it’s easy to imagine a scenario where Cousins wins the job and emerges as a solid mentor for Sanders.
Miami Dolphins
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo report that the Dolphins appear set to move on from Tua Tagovailoa during the 2026 NFL offseason.
If Miami does that, the team could look to target Malik Willis as a replacement. After all, the Dolphins’ new brain trust of coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan both come from the Green Bay Packers, where Willis thrived as a backup over the last two seasons.
However, if the Dolphins miss out on Willis, Cousins could be a solid Plan B. Miami’s new offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowik, comes from the Shanahan coaching tree and overlapped with Cousins for two seasons in Washington back in 2012 and 2013.
Could Kirk Cousins retire?
Yes, Cousins will at least contemplate retirement, as Schefter implied his Feb. 9 appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show.’
‘I think he’d like to play, but he’s going to consider all his options,’ Schefter said of Cousins. ‘That could include TV, that could include retirement, whatever it is that he wants to do, he’ll have the option to do it.’
Cousins served as a guest analyst on CBS’ ‘NFL Today’ show during the 2025 NFL playoffs. He filled in for Matt Ryan after the former Falcons quarterback was named the team’s president of football at the start of the 2026 offseason.
So, if Cousins does decide to call it a career, his most likely landing spot could end up being on television.
That said, Cousins gave a strong indication he wants to continue playing during an interview with USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon at Super Bowl 60.
‘Looking forward to playing in ’26,’ Cousins said. ‘Just don’t know what it’ll look like.’
