Updated Feb. 6, 2026, 3:50 p.m. ET
The Atlanta Falcons were among the busiest teams in the NFL throughout the month of January, and while they have filled their head coach and general manager vacancies, key roster decisions remain. One thing that the Falcons must figure out is what to do with Kirk Cousins.
The veteran quarterback restructured his contract a few weeks ago and many anticipate he will be released or traded in the offseason. President of football Matt Ryan has not made any definitive statement about the team’s plans at the QB position, but most expect Atlanta to move forward with Michael Penix Jr.
While we don’t know exactly what the Falcons have up their sleeve, Ryan provided an update on Cousins’ future and a potential timeline for when they plan to make a final decision in a recent interview with CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.
“Kirk is a decision we all need to get together on and make,” said Ryan. “Because some of those decisions that you’re talking about — What does the future look like? Where do we go? Where do we go as an organization moving forward? — that’s one we’ve got to consider, but it’s also, at the same time, what is best for next season? So, we’ll weigh all those options. We’ll have those discussions, but as you get into the calendar, those decisions will be made post-combine and pre-free agency.”
In case you were wondering, the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine runs from February 23 to March 2. The new league year begins on March 11, with the legal tampering period opening on March 9. So based on what Ryan said, the Falcons will likely make a decision sometime in that first week of March.
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