The Atlanta Falcons shelved quarterback Kirk Cousins ahead of their Week 15 matchup with the New York Giants, the first time in years Cousins was a QB2 while healthy. And things only got worse from there.

Kirk Cousins' divorce from the Falcons is expected to be finalized before his $10 million roster bonus is due March 17, with executives across the league fully expecting Atlanta to have to release him by then.

Cousins' top suitor is Cleveland, the long-recognized mecca center for all misfit quarterbacks. The Deshaun Watson experiment has been nothing short of a disaster. He has two years remaining on his five-year deal worth $230 million.

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

The Kirk Cousins fiasco for the Atlanta Falcons led to a $180 million decision, and the winner was Michael Penix Jr. and the Falcons. So far.

Now, mere days after Cousins was sent to the bench, ESPN 's Adam Schefter reported that the Falcons are expected to cut Cousins before a $10 million roster bonus is due in March. Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million deal to join the Falcons this past March, a contract which included $100 million guaranteed.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reviews the various factors and the possible outcomes at play as the Atlanta Falcons proceed with a succession plan from Kirk Cousins to Michael Penix Jr.

If the Atlanta Falcons are going to make a playoff push, coach Raheem Morris and quarterback Kirk Cousins both know the 13-year veteran needs to improve his play over the last three games of the season.

At quarterback, the Falcons might go from cooked to cooking. In the midst of a race for the NFC South title, with three games left, Atlanta finally acknowledged that rookie Michael Penix Jr. offers a better chance to win than the quarterback the team gave  $100 million in guaranteed money last March,