3 Atlanta Falcons who won’t be back in 2025 because of Kirk Cousins’ dead money

After weeks of waiting, the Atlanta Falcons finally made the decision to bench Kirk Cousins in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr.

Cousins — Atlanta's big-ticket free agency signing from last offseason — was supposed to be the solution under center until Penix was ready. As it turns out, he's simply a below-average starter at this point... except when he faces off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Benching Cousins, a player owed $100 million guaranteed on the four-year deal he inked with Atlanta this past offseason, is a big statement, and it sounds like a release is going to follow sometime before March 17.

Releasing Cousins by that date would help Atlanta save $10 million that they would've had to send Cousins' way had he been on their roster, but the dead cap hit is enormous. It's so large, in fact, to the point where at least these three Falcons players won't be back in 2025 because of it.

3) Drew Dalman will cash in as a free agent

Drew Dalman has been a stalwart for the Falcons offensive line since being drafted in the fourth round back in 2021, but it's hard to envision him staying with the team past this season, which is the final year of his rookie contract.

Dalman is set to hit free agency in an offseason that doesn't have many centers to compete with him. He might not be a Pro Bowler, but he's a terrific run blocker, and while he has missed time this season due to injury, he's been mostly durable throughout his career so far. Those factors combined with the fact that he's only 26 years old set Dalman up to really cash in.

The Falcons would almost certainly love to bring him back, and might be able to find a creative way to do so, but with Cousins taking such a large cap hit means cuts will have to be made elsewhere. It's going to be tough for the Falcons to bring him back with other teams out there willing to pay for the best center on the market.

2) Justin Simmons isn't the player he once was

When the Falcons signed Justin Simmons late in the offseason, it felt as if they had formed the best safety duo in the NFL with the two-time Pro Bowler joining Jessie Bates. While Bates is still outstanding, it's pretty clear that Simmons isn't the player he once was.

The 31-year-old has appeared in 13 of Atlanta's 14 games, but has just two interceptions and 47 total tackles thus far. There are still three more regular season games to be played, but this is almost certainly going to end up being Simmons' worst statistical season since his rookie year back in 2016. The eye test certainly matches up with the lackluster numbers, too.

At the end of the day, there appears to have been a reason Simmons was available as late as he was into the offseason. Whether Cousins is eventually released or not, the Falcons will likely show no interest in re-signing Simmons.

1) Matt Judon has underwhelmed with the Falcons

The Falcons traded a third-round pick to the New England Patriots to acquire the disgruntled Matt Judon in hopes that he could improve their pass rush. Based on how Judon had played in New England, there was reason to get very excited about this addition, especially after they signed Simons and improved their offense by signing Cousins.

Unfortunately, not only did Cousins prove to be an unbelievable disappointment, but Judon has underwhelmed as well.

He has appeared in all of Atlanta's 14 games after appearing in just four contests all of last season, but yet, despite appearing in 10 more games, Judon has just 3.5 sacks after recording four sacks last season. In his previous two healthy seasons in New England, he had recorded 15.5 and 12.5 sacks respectively. He had gone from one of the most dynamic pass rushers in the NFL to virtually a non-factor with the Falcons.

Whether it's being on a new team or some other unknown reason, Judon just isn't the same guy. The fact that he's only appeared in 59 percent of the team's defensive snaps (his lowest output since 2016) says it all. Much like Simmons, whether Cousins is released or not, Judon feels like a goner.