![\"Kirk](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2253997801-e1771945382868.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Kirk Cousins #18 of the Atlanta Falcons looks on after the game against the Los Angeles Rams.<\/p>\n
Since being released by the Atlanta Falcons<\/a>, Kirk Cousins has yet to land with another team, despite NFL free agency beginning weeks ago.<\/p>\n Cousins, 37, was seen as one of the top free agent quarterbacks to hit the open market this cycle, yet all the major openings across the league were gobbled up by his competitors.<\/p>\n Kyler Murray landed with the Minnesota Vikings<\/a>, a heavy favorite for Cousins, who would have gone back to his former team. Malik Willis signed with the Miami Dolphins<\/a>. Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa took over Cousins\u2019 former role with the Atlanta Falcons.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t leave a lot of remaining options. Though, there is one \u2014 particularly a starting position \u2014 should Cousins and the team see a fit: the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a>.<\/p>\n More On Kirk Cousins: Kirk Cousins Hit With Brutal Message About Steelers QB Job<\/a><\/p>\n Kirk Cousins\u2019 Steelers Option Hinges on Aaron Rodgers Decision<\/p>\n Cousins landing with the Steelers boils down to one thing \u2014 whether or not Aaron Rodgers decides to return for another season.<\/p>\n According to new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, he and Rodgers talk often, yet there\u2019s still no signal on a return. That leaves the door wide open for Cousins to come to Pittsburgh. And Bleacher Report\u2019s Gary Davenport believes<\/a> Cousins could be a seamless transition from Rodgers last season.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Rodgers-led Steelers won 10 games and the AFC North last year,\u201d Davenport wrote. \u201cA Cousins-led Pittsburgh offense has the potential to duplicate that record.\u201d<\/p>\n The Steelers made some much-needed offensive upgrades this offseason. They added Michael Pittman Jr. via trade from the Indianapolis Colts<\/a> to pair alongside last year\u2019s leading receiver DK Metcalf and signed running back Rico Dowdle after losing Kenneth Gainwell.<\/p>\n But would that truly be enough for Cousins to help the Steelers get back to the playoffs, earning at least 10 wins like Davenport believes?<\/p>\n Kirk Cousins\u2019 Track Record With Falcons\u2019, Others Tells Different Story<\/p>\n Remember, the Steelers struggled mightily with Aaron Rodgers last season. Even though that was without the recent additions and under previous head coach Mike Tomlin, there would still be uncertainty with Cousins leading the offense.<\/p>\n When Cousins signed with the Falcons, he was supposed to end their long playoff drought. Instead, he failed to do so and was eventually benched during his first season. His performances were underwhelming enough that head coach Raheem Morris didn\u2019t even consider him the starter the following year.<\/p>\n Ultimately, Cousins went 12-10 as a starter in Atlanta \u2014 7-7 in Year 1 and 5-3 in Year 2 after replacing Michael Penix Jr. when he went down with a season-ending knee injury. But it\u2019s not just Atlanta where Cousins has struggled.<\/p>\n He has just two 10-win seasons<\/a> as a starter in his career, both coming with the Minnesota Vikings. He went 10-5 in 2019 and 13-4 \u2014 his best season \u2014 in 2022. That\u2019s a big reason why his playoff r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is so thin, with just five games played, four starts and a 1-3 record.<\/p>\n So sure, Cousins could be a fallback option for the Steelers. But the idea that he can just walk in and lead them to a 10-win season isn\u2019t as realistic as it sounds.<\/p>\n Just ask the Falcons.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tShane Shoemaker<\/a> Shane Shoemaker is a sports journalist covering college football and the NFL for Heavy.com. His work has also appeared in The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, USA TODAY, and ClutchPoints, along with high school sports coverage for the Marion Tribune. More about Shane Shoemaker<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Falcons\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Kirk Cousins #18 of the Atlanta Falcons looks on after the game against the Los Angeles Rams.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":773549,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2074],"tags":[223,254,2554,224,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-847375","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-atlanta-falcons","8":"tag-atlanta","9":"tag-atlanta-falcons","10":"tag-atlantafalcons","11":"tag-falcons","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116330207296627866","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=847375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847375\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/773549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=847375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=847375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=847375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}