Kirk Cousins had his best game this season last week in an upset win over the Buccaneers. The 37-year-old veteran made his fourth start in place of an injured Michael Penix Jr. and completed 30 of 44 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns in a 29-28 comeback victory.
It was a particularly encouraging performance for Cousins, who struggled toward the end of last year and was benched for Penix as Atlanta attempted to make a playoff push. Penix then took over as the starter, all the way until he suffered a torn ACL last month.
Prior to tearing his ACL, Penix showed flashes of why the Falcons made him the No. 8 pick a month after signing Cousins to a four-year, $150 million deal. But Penix wasn’t consistent, and his status for the start of 2026 isn’t guaranteed.
As such, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris was asked Wednesday if Cousins could start in Week 1 next year if Penix isn’t ready to go.
"Everything is on the table,” Morris replied. “Obviously we all sit down at the end of the season and we'll have all those discussions, we'll talk about all those things. That certainly will be a part of it. When we went down the journey of Kirk Cousins, we planned on the amount of years that we put in his contract, and hopefully, we were able to potentially get more. So, we'll see where that goes and all those types of things. But that's definitely up for discussion once we get to the end of the season. We know we'll get Mike back next year. But that'll definitely be up for discussion."
Cousins is under contract for two more years, but the Falcons could also try to trade or move on from him this offseason, especially if another quarterback-needy team is willing to make an offer. Given Penix’s injury history and lack of consistency thus far, Cousins could also prove valuable for Atlanta to retain as his backup.
Cousins’s future could also change if Atlanta opts to move in a different direction as head coach. Morris is in just his second season with the Falcons, but has been on the hot seat this season since the team fell to 5-9 after a 3-2 start. If the Falcons do shake up their staff, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see a new regime change up the roster and quarterback room in turn.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Falcons' Raheem Morris Addresses Future of Team's QB Position Amid Shaky Season.