By trading Cousins before June 1, the Falcons would only be held liable for the remaining prorated signing bonus of $37.5 million. This comes from the $12.5 million he is scheduled to make in the 2025, 2026, and 2027 seasons.

Releasing Cousins would be a major hit to Atlanta’s 2025 salary cap, as he would count for $65 million in dead cap, per Over the Cap. It is very unlikely the Falcons would be willing to take that big of a loss in an outright cut after only having Cousins for just a season.

Kirk Cousins is mulling retirement after the Falcons benched him and plans on cutting him from the roster this offseason.