Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Kirk Cousins

Sunday, January 4, 8:18 PM

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 25 of his 40 pass attempts for 259 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, and zero interceptions during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Arizona Cardinals. He also took one sack and rushed for three yards. The 37-year-old quarterback entered this week in a neck-and-neck race with Drake Maye for the MVP award, and Stafford might have pulled ahead on Sunday afternoon, even without Davante Adams (hamstring) at his disposal. He finishes the regular season with an NFL-leading 4,707 passing yards, 46 passing touchdowns, and just eight interceptions. Los Angeles secured the NFC's No. 5 seed and will move on to face the Carolina Panthers in the opening round of the NFL playoffs next weekend.

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.