Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Dak Prescott

Tuesday, January 6, 12:56 PM

The Atlanta Falcons and quarterback Kirk Cousins agreed to tweak the final two years of the QB's contract on Tuesday, setting the stage for a decision on his future to be made by the third day of the new league year on March 13, a source told ESPN's Field Yates. Cousins now has a guarantee for $67.9 million for the 2027 season that will vest on March 13. The restructure also includes reducing Cousins' 2026 base salary from a non-guaranteed $35 million to just $2.1 million. Atlanta's front office is in flux following the firing of general manager Terry Fontenot on Sunday, but the Falcons could still move on from Cousins before March 13 as a post-June 1 release. A release of that kind would split the dead money on Cousins' contract over 2026 and 2027, as opposed to the team taking on the full amount in 2026. The 37-year-old played in 10 games this season, including starting the final seven following Michael Penix Jr.'s season-ending knee injury. Cousins was serviceable, throwing 10 TDs and five interceptions, but he probably isn't in the team's long-term plans at the position.

Wednesday, January 7, 1:12 PM

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is optimistic about the team's future based on quarterback Dak Prescott's impressive 2025 season. "I think I've seen Dak at the best he's ever been," Jones said. Prescott certainly had one of the best seasons of his 10-year NFL career, completing 67.3% of his 600 pass attempts for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 17 starts. His 404 completions were a league-high, and he finished as the QB5 in terms of overall fantasy points. The 32-year-old veteran entered Week 18 action with the most passing yards, completions, and pass attempts in the NFL, but he wasn't able to add much to those totals after the Cowboys pulled him in a meaningless game. Dallas' failure to make the postseason this year shouldn't rest on the shoulders of Prescott and the offense. Going into 2026, he'll be a strong QB1 target if the Cowboys bring receiver George Pickens back to work with CeeDee Lamb.