Details of Kirk Cousins contract with Falcons emerge

Cousins has his $50 million signing bonus prorated over the four years, $12.5 million each year. His base salary is $12.5 million this year, $27.5 million in 2025, and $35 million in the final two years.

He’s also got $10 million roster bonuses due on the 5th day of the 2026 and 2027 league years. He’s also got a $40 million guaranteed salary, $12.5 million in 2024 and $27.5 million in 2025.

So, in summary, the Falcons have Kirk Cousins under contract for cap hits of $25 million this year, $40 million next year, and $57.5 million in the final two seasons.

If the Falcons move off of him after two seasons, they’ll incur dead cap hits of $25 million in 2026 and $12.5 million in 2027 with $32.5 million and $45 million in cap savings, respectively. If they part ways with him after three seasons, they’ll only take on that $12.5 million in dead money while saving the $45 million in 2027.

The Falcons backloaded the deal, which will only look better in a couple of years as the league salary cap continues to rise. Moreover, if Kirk Cousins’ play falls off a cliff, moving off of the veteran won’t be financially crippling for Atlanta.

As of right now, he’s taking up less than 10% of the team’s salary cap this year, 15.4% next year, 20.2% in 2026 and 18.3% in 2027. Those are based on OverTheCap’s projections for the league’s salary cap, which are generally conservative, so the cap percentage could be even smaller.