The Falcons thought they had it all figured out with Kirk Cousins when they signed him to that massive deal. Now? Not so much. Rookie Michael Penix Jr. is waiting, the team’s cap space is in shambles, and that $65M dead cap hit is hanging around like an ex you can’t block. No wonder Raheem Morris must be side-eyeing Cousins’ contract right about now.

Because let’s be real—Morris has to deal with a QB who’s getting paid like a starter but might not even start the whole season. A total mess. To make things even spicier, the Atlanta team decided to stick with Cousins for the 2025 season. Now, here’s the deal: Cousins is sitting at a $27.5M fully guaranteed salary in 2025. Plus, a $65M dead cap hit is looming around the team’s head. Now what? Well, they’ve got 6 options to tackle this diabolical situation.

1. A standard pre-March 16 trade

If Cousins remains on the roster post March 16, a $10M bonus for 2026 will become fully guaranteed. Now, considering the team’s salary cap space is $5M over the cap space, Morris and the Falcons would not like to increase the QB’s dead cap hit. For that, if the Falcons can find a team ready to take Cousins’ hefty contract, the team would take on a $37.5M in dead cap hit.

BUT! They would have an opportunity to free themselves of any salary owed. The acquiring team would take on $27.5M fully guaranteed in 2025, $45M in 2026, and $45M in 2027. The catch? Yeah, you guessed that right. Finding a team ready to take Cousins’ contract is pretty unlikely for the Falcons.

2. A Salary-retained trade (pre-March 16)

Kirk Cousins signed a massive 4-year deal in the last season worth $180M. Now that he’ll enter just the second season of his contract, no team would like to trade for him. In that case, the Falcons can consider a salary-retained trade (pre-March 16). You see if the team trade Cousins but agrees to pay a part of his salary in 2025, things get pretty easier for the team, considering they currently have $5M over the cap space.

Sure, they’ll get a dead cap hit, but at least they’ll be able to get a draft pick in return—kind of like dumping an expensive subscription you barely use. At this point, it’s a slightly more possible option for the team.

3. A standard post June 1st release (pre-March 16)

Here’s the deal: a standard post June 1st release is the very option most teams would like to consider. The reason’s pretty obvious. Just spread out the dead cap hit for a couple of years and voilà, you’ve got a much-needed free cap space. In the case of Cousins, the Falcons can keep the QB on roster until June 1, and then release him. That said, the team could spread out his cap hit with $40M in 2025 and $25M in 2026. However, this will leave them a short-term cap relief and they will have to take a hit in 2026.

4. A contract restructure + post June 1st release (pre-March 16)

The Falcons can also consider one of the best move for clearing cap space—just like the Chiefs do with Patrick Mahomes, except the Kansas City team doesn’t want to release or trade their QB. Raheem Morris’ team can restructure Kirk Cousins’ contract by converting $26.45M of his salary into the signing bonus and then release him after June 1st. The result? Well, the team would carry $19M of cap hit in 2025, and $46M in 2026. Of course, it’ll make this season more manageable but it will surely make the 2026 season worse for them.

5. The post March 16th move

Ooh, that’s an expensive option for Raheem Morris and his crew. You see, if the Atlanta team doesn’t trade or release him before March 16, Kirk Cousins will basically become a bit expensive. His dead cap of $65M will jump to $75M once a $10M bonus locks in. In that case, a trade will become almost impossible for the team. And if they decide to cut him, it’s going to be an even bigger financial hit.

6. Keep Kirk Cousins as a backup/starter

Alright, let’s say the Falcons decide to keep Cousins around—whether as a pricey insurance policy for Michael Penix Jr. or to actually let him fight for the starting job. Cool, right? Well, not exactly. See, keeping him in 2025 means they’re not just paying him $27.5 million—they’re also letting a $10 million bonus for 2026 automatically lock in. Think of it like signing up for a “free trial” and forgetting to cancel before the charge hits.

And if they decide to cut him after 2025? A $35 million dead cap hit just to say goodbye—YIKES! To pour gasoline on the fire—if the Falcons decide to restructure his contract later, it’s just going to kick the financial pain down the road.

There you go. Keeping Kirk Cousins is basically the NFL version of keeping an expensive ex around, knowing it’s going to cost you later. Well, if the QB helps the Falcons to win their first Lombardi, then that’s another thing. Until then, all Raheem Morris can do is sigh, shake his head, and figure out how to Houdini his way out of this cap nightmare.