Sources: Falcons will move forward with QB Kirk Cousins as a $27.5M backup or trade bait

It’s not a bluff: The Atlanta Falcons are indeed moving forward with Kirk Cousins on their roster.

Two league sources familiar with communications between Cousins and the Falcons reiterated to Yahoo Sports on Wednesday that the franchise will move forward toward the NFL Draft with the veteran quarterback on their roster. This despite a $10 million 2026 roster bonus that will convert to fully guaranteed if he’s not released or traded before Monday.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer previously reported that Cousins requested and received a meeting with team owner Arthur Blank last week. A source told Yahoo Sports on Wednesday that since that meeting, Cousins and the Falcons have proceeded with the expectation that he would remain on the team beyond the roster bonus deadline.

After that point, the Falcons are expected to proceed ahead with Cousins as their backup quarterback behind Michael Penix Jr. However, a trade option would still remain on the table if a suitor for Cousins emerged and the quarterback was willing to waive his no-trade clause. If that doesn’t materialize, he would then play out the 2025 season as Penix’s backup while earning $27.5 million in fully guaranteed salary. After the 2025 season, the Falcons would then have the option to cut Cousins and have the $10 million in 2026 guaranteed money subject to salary offsets. Essentially, if any team paid Cousins more than $10 million to play for them in 2026, the Falcons would be off the hook for the full $10 million owed by Atlanta.

It’s an important development for the league’s quarterback market, largely because multiple teams are looking for either a long-term answer or a bridge option at the position. That includes the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns, who are both looking to add at least one more player to their quarterback room — either through the draft or in free agency.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants are also still trying to resolve needs at quarterback, with Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson both in play for those franchises.

With Cousins now expected to remain on the Falcons' roster, any of those teams hoping to keep him on the table as an option will now have to grapple with a trade negotiation that would include how much salary the Falcons would pay in the event they were to send Cousins to another team.