The Atlanta Falcons have plenty of work to do this NFL offseason. Atlanta finished the regular season 8-9 and missed the NFC playoffs. Now the Falcons must transition into offseason mode and attempt to fix what went wrong last season. That should start with a decision on what to do about Kirk Cousins.
The Falcons face an important decision about quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason. Atlanta seems destined to move on from Cousins, but nobody knows for sure if he will be traded or released.
One recent report from ESPN's Dan Graziano suggests the Falcons will explore the possibility of a trade before releasing Cousins.
“Kirk Cousins' $10 million 2026 roster bonus becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year, but I was told that isn't a factor in the Falcons' timetable for moving on from him,” Graziano said via ESPN. “They've already sunk $90 million into Cousins for less than one year's worth of games, and if they truly believe there's a trade market for him, the extra $10 million won't deter them from hanging on past March 17.”
Despite Atlanta's willingness to make a trade happen, Graziano believes that the Falcons will be forced to release Cousins.
“Odds are much stronger, however, that they won't find much of a market and will end up releasing Cousins at some point soon,” Graziano concluded.
The Falcons may make their mind up, one way or the other, before the start of the NFL's legal tampering period on March 10th.
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Atlanta has more plans than simply trying to trade away Kirk Cousins.
Graziano also noted in the same ESPN article that the Falcons plan to load up on defense in the 2025 NFL Draft. He suggested that the Falcons may even be willing to trade their first-round pick if it means landing more defensive players.
“The Falcons are likely to use most, if not all, of their early-round picks on defensive players and has some interest in trading their No. 15 pick to collect more draft capital, depending on how the first half of Round 1 shakes out,” Graziano wrote.
Atlanta has plenty of firepower on the offensive side of the ball, so it makes sense to address the defense.
The Falcons need help at every level of their defense, with safety being the only possible exception.
Atlanta may be a team to watch for a trade down during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft in April.
