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Turns Out Kirk Cousins Will Be Part of the Playoffs
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- Turns Out Kirk Cousins Will Be Part of the Playoffs
Jim Dedmon
Longtime Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins departed in the 2023 offseason to join the Atlanta Falcons . That stint hasn't gone according to his plan, as 2024 draftee Michael Penix stole the veteran's starting job in his rookie season. As Penix was out with injuries in 2025, Cousins returned to the starting unit, but his Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention early in the process. Still, Cousins found a way to be part of this year's postseason.
Kirk Cousins, the TV Analyst
Dec 29, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) celebrates after a victory over the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
On Wednesday, CBS announced that Cousins will be part of their playoff coverage this weekend.
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The account CBS Sports PR posted on social media, "Kirk Cousins will join THE NFL TODAY as a guest analyst for CBS Sports' coverage of the Divisional round and AFC Championship 🏈"
Awfulannouncing.com, a site that tracks things like announcer assignments, noted about the move, "The network announced on Wednesday that current Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins and CBS NFL analyst Kyle Long would be joining The NFL Today studio show for the remainder of the postseason. CBS will air two more games this season, a Divisional Round game between the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos on Saturday afternoon, and the AFC Championship Game the following Sunday at 1 p.m. ET."
Cousins will take over for longtime NFL quarterback Matt Ryan , who returned to the Falcons in an executive position. Ryan used to work as an analyst for CBS, but he said "goodbye" during the wild-card weekend.
Dec 17, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) and wide receiver K.J. Osborn (17) celebrate the win against the Indianapolis Colts after the game at U.S. Bank Stadium. With the win, the Minnesota Vikings clinched the NFC North. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.
It's not Cousins' first rodeo, as he worked had a gig with ESPN last season. Awful Announcing added, "Kirk Cousins, on the other hand, has a bit of media experience himself, despite still being an active player. Last year, Cousins gave a strong performance on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown during a Divisional Round game between the Texans and Chiefs . He is an especially familiar face to fans now that he has participated in two seasons of the Netflix show Quarterback ."
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Cousins has always done a wonderful job breaking down film or analysing the game in appearances with the media and it wouldn't be shocking to see him do well once again. A few weeks ago, he made waves during a press conference when he chatted about his experiences of reading a defense.
Kirk Cousins, the Potential Vikings Quarterback
As the quarterback problems remain in the Twin Cities, Cousins remains an intriguing player for the Minnesota Vikings . Kevin O'Connell's Vikings haven't gotten the desired play out of 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy and look for a sidekick, someone who can challenge the young passer and provide insurance in case his inconsistent play continues.
Dec 8, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) greet each other after the game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.
The Athletic's Josh Kendall and Jeff Howe wrote last week, "The most significant item of business early this week was a restructuring of quarterback Kirk Cousins' contract that gives the team more financial flexibility this spring and allows Cousins to essentially advertise to the rest of the league — or anyone interested in his services — that he will be a free agent by March 12."
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Having Cousins as McCarthy's competition on a cheap contract should be regarded as one of the better outcomes for the purple squad entering the 2026 season.
The two Falcons writers added, "Atlanta converted Cousins' 2026 salary from $35 million to $2.1 million, according to a league source, moving the leftover $32.9 million to his 2027 base salary, making his base salary for that season $67.9 million. The move essentially guarantees Cousins will be released before March 13 because that entire $67.9 million would be due to him if he's still on the roster then."
Cousins, 37, started eight games in 2025, recording 1,721 yards, ten touchdowns, and five picks en route to a 5-3 record.
He'll (likely) wear a suit on Saturday's CBS panel, but don't be surprised to see him in purple next season.
Editor's Note: Information from PFF , Over The Cap , and Sports Reference helped with this article.
