There have been several key dates tied to if — or when — the Atlanta Falcons could trade quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The latest was June 1.
The first major date came on March 15, when Cousins received his $10 million fully guaranteed 2026 roster bonus. The second came during the 2025 NFL Draft, when quarterback-needy teams made their selections for the future.
What makes the post-June 1 window significant is the massive financial impact it could have on the Falcons if they find a trade partner for Cousins.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler broke it down: Atlanta could now save $27.5 million by trading Cousins. Before June 1, they would have saved just $2.5 million.
Bleacher Report’s Andrew Peters noted that if the Falcons manage to pull off the deal now, it could make them the “biggest savers” of the offseason.
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There’s a catch, though. As Fowler also pointed out, that $27.5 million figure is the fully guaranteed price tag Cousins carries. That means if the Falcons truly want to move him, they’ll likely have to absorb part of that cost to make a deal work.
Easier said than done.
Back in early May, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote that with every key NFL milestone that passes, the chances of Cousins finding a new team diminish. The next big date: the start of training camp. As of now, one of the few viable landing spots is the Pittsburgh Steelers — a team waiting for clarity on Aaron Rodgers’ future.
“Realistically, at this point, it seems like the two possible exit doors for Cousins open if the Steelers don’t land Rodgers or another quarterback gets hurt somewhere,” Breer wrote. “But even if there’s an injury, it’d have to happen before the trade deadline. And there’s a chance that Cousins wouldn’t want to uproot his family—and could thus block a trade if he doesn’t like the destination.”
The good news for Atlanta is that even if they can’t find a trade partner, releasing Cousins now would cost $10 million instead of the $35 million it would have before June 1.