Kirk Cousins' CBS gig after Falcons flop sparks future questions

Kirk Cousins volition not beryllium connected the tract during the NFL Divisional Round, but helium volition inactive beryllium portion of the postseason spotlight. Days aft the Atlanta Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention, the seasoned backmost accepted a high-profile media relation that has softly added a caller furniture to the speech astir his future.The determination comes astatine a infinitesimal of modulation for Atlanta. The Falcons missed the postseason again, reshuffled their beforehand office, and present look a looming declaration determination connected Cousins earlier escaped bureau opens successful March.

Kirk Cousins steps into CBS expert relation arsenic Falcons statesman pivotal offseason

CBS announced connected Jan. 14 that Cousins volition service arsenic a impermanent workplace expert connected “The NFL Today” during the Divisional Round and the AFC Championship game. He volition look alongside Bill Cowher, Nate Burleson, James Brown, and Kyle Long for the network’s playoff coverage.The opening came aft Matt Ryan near CBS to judge the recently created relation of president of shot operations with the Falcons. Ryan’s departure from broadcasting created a uncommon script successful which 1 erstwhile Atlanta backmost stepped into the beforehand bureau portion the team’s existent backmost filled his seat connected nationalist television.

Cousins has anterior media experience. He joined ESPN during the divisional circular of the 2024 playoffs and was scheduled to look connected NBC’s “Football Night successful America” during Atlanta’s 2024 bye week earlier canceling.

He was besides featured prominently successful Netflix’s “Quarterback,” which documented the regular routines of NFL starters.The timing is notable. Cousins said earlier this period that his playing aboriginal remains unresolved pursuing Atlanta’s 19-17 Week 18 triumph implicit the New Orleans Saints.“Hard to know. I would similar to support playing, but we’ll spot however things play retired successful March oregon adjacent aft that… I would emotion to beryllium backmost here. We’ll spot however things play out.”Atlanta finished extracurricular the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season, losing a three-way NFC South tiebreaker contempt ending the twelvemonth connected a four-game winning streak.

Contract math, headdress relief, and wherefore media enactment keeps each enactment open

Cousins is nether declaration done 2027 aft signing a four-year, $180 Million woody successful 2024 that included important guarantees. Atlanta restructured the last 2 seasons of the declaration to make flexibility, mounting up a determination model successful aboriginal March.The Falcons tin merchandise Cousins earlier March 13, spreading astir $67.5 Million successful remaining guaranteed wealth crossed the 2026 and 2027 seasons. That determination would supply headdress alleviation arsenic the enactment searches for a caller wide manager and caput manager pursuing the firings of Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris.On the field, Cousins’ relation shifted sharply implicit the past 2 seasons. After being benched precocious successful 2024, helium entered 2025 arsenic the backup down Michael Penix Jr.,

the eighth wide prime successful the 2024 NFL Draft. Penix suffered a season-ending ACL tear, pushing Cousins backmost into the lineup.Across 10 appearances and 8 starts successful 2025, Cousins completed 61.7% of his passes for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. Atlanta went 5-3 successful his starts, including a precocious four-game triumph streak that kept the playoff contention live until the last weekend.Cousins besides expanded his off-field illustration this month, accepting a relation arsenic marque ambassador for AWOL Vision and its premium sub-brand Valerion.

The concern includes an quality astatine CES 2026, wherever the institution plans to debut its Aetherion projector series.“I emotion however AWOL Vision makes each infinitesimal astatine location consciousness vivid and alive,” Cousins said. “The clarity and standard propulsion you close into the action, whether it’s a large game, a movie night, oregon a gathering with household and friends. It’s astir creating ‘wow moments’ with a genuinely immersive experience.”None of these moves corroborate a status plan. They do, however, reflector the way taken by respective seasoned quarterbacks who kept media doors unfastened portion remaining progressive players.Cousins volition crook 38 earlier the 2026 season. Whether Atlanta keeps him, releases him, oregon watches him research escaped agency, the adjacent 8 weeks volition specify the last arc of his vocation acold much than 2 weekends successful a CBS studio.But the connection is clear. Even aft different playoff miss, Kirk Cousins is positioning himself truthful that football, successful immoderate form, remains portion of his future.