Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Sam Darnold

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.

Friday, January 23, 5:52 PM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (oblique) was removed from Friday's final injury report and is set to take on the division-rival Los Angeles Rams for the third time this year in Sunday's NFC Championship game. Darnold tweaked his oblique in practice last Thursday and was questionable for the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The 28-year-old ended up playing and going 12-for-17 passing for 124 yards with one touchdown in the 41-6 blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers. The Seahawks didn't really need Darnold to do much, but that probably won't be the case this weekend against a Rams offense that scored a league-high 30.5 points per game. In the two previous games against L.A. this year, Darnold threw for 549 yards and two touchdowns on 78 total attempts, but he also threw six total interceptions. The volume should be there for Darnold on Sunday, but he'll need to take care of the football if Seattle wants to advance to the Super Bowl.