Bill Simmons predicts $411 million QB walks away from NFL in 2025 for surprising venture
The future of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has become one of the top storylines of the 2025 NFL offseason. The Falcons have embraced the idea that Michael Penix Jr. will be its quarterback moving forward, and Cousins' outlook is murky. The Ringer's Bill Simmons floated an idea that hadn't been considered yet, though, and […]
The future of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has become one of the top storylines of the 2025 NFL offseason. The Falcons have embraced the idea that Michael Penix Jr. will be its quarterback moving forward, and Cousins' outlook is murky. The Ringer's Bill Simmons floated an idea that hadn't been considered yet, though, and it's worth considering if we had missed some of the tea leaves.
Cousins revealed he was dealing with a shoulder and elbow injury late in the year before being benched for Penix. The Falcons owe Cousins base salaries of $27.5 million in 2025 and $35 million in 2026 and 2027. Despite this, Simmons feels Cousins will retire this offseason and work in the media.
On the latest Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons told Sheil Kapadia that teams like Cleveland, New York, and Las Vegas should forget about Cousins. Instead, it makes sense for a 37-year-old coming off a bad season to walk away with the $411 million he's earned over his career.
Cousins is due a $40 million cap hit in 2025 because of Atlanta's poor thinking on structuring his $110 million deal. Trading him before the 2025 NFL Draft would incur a $37.5 million dead cap hit in 2025 and only $2.5 in cap relief.
Options after June 1 open up. Atlanta would clear out $27.5 million of cap space for 2025 and $45 million in each of the following two years from a trade. Cutting him would zero out in 2025 but have the same cap benefits in 2026 and 2027.
Atlanta has already said they plan on paying Cousins' $10 million bonus and rostering him. Considering the cost of moving and then replacing him, keeping him is probably the smartest option unless Cousins gets involved and becomes disgruntled.
If Cousins wants to step away and join the media, no one could blame him besides his accountant. Giving up $27.5 million in base salary makes no sense when he might not even play a down for the Falcons this fall.
Instead, he could push for a trade and compete to start. If Simmons is right, though, it would be a refreshing moment where a player opts for their post-football life over a massive paycheck.
