2025 NFL Playoff Buzz: Falcons May Cut QB Kirk Cousins After Restructuring Deal

The 2025 regular season is in the books, meaning it's time for some to switch gears to the offseason and others to shift focus to the NFL playoffs.

Every bit of news is all the more consequential entering the postseason, as the march to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara officially kicks off.

Who's hurt? Who's practicing? Who's starting? And who's on the hot seat? Here's the latest on what's happening around the league entering wild-card weekend:

Falcons, Kirk Cousins heading for split?

The Atlanta Falcons continued their busy week on Tuesday after agreeing to modify the final two years of quarterback Kirk Cousins' contract, per ESPN and The Athletic. According to reports, the move will likely lead to the Falcons releasing Cousins by the third day of the 2026 NFL league year on March 13 as it is unlikely any team would look to trade for him given his contract.

As part of the restructure, Atlanta converted Cousins’ 2026 salary from $35 million to $2.1 million, and moved the remaining $32.9 million to his 2027 base salary to increase the figure to $67.9 million. His 2027 salary would become guaranteed if he's still with the team by March 13, while releasing him with a post-June 1 designation would cost the Falcons a dead cap hit of $35 million that can be split into payments of $22.5 million in 2026 and $12.5 million in 2027. 

Cousins, who started eight of his 10 games played this season, will play in his 15th season in 2026. The veteran QB led the Falcons to a 5-2 record in place of the injured Michael Penix Jr. (torn ACL) to end the year, completing 61.8% of his passes for 1,471 yards, 10 touchdown passes and five interceptions in that span.

Steelers WR DK Metcalf back from suspension

The Pittsburgh Steelers officially welcomed their star wide receiver back into the fold Monday after Metcalf was reinstated following a two-game suspension. The penalty stemmed from Metcalf's infamous altercation with a Lions fan during a Week 16 road win over Detroit.

Metcalf returns at the perfect time for Pittsburgh as he looks to help the club win its first playoff game since 2016 when they meet the Houston Texans next Monday in the wild-card round. 

"We were definitely starting to hit our stride as an offense," Metcalf said Monday. "I think we found our groove and hoping we can pick that back up."

The Steelers (10-7) will have to try to do it against the NFL's top-ranked defense. Houston (12-5) has won nine straight since a 3-5 start.

"Just looking forward to another great matchup against some NFL-caliber players," Metcalf added. "They got some great edge rushers. They’re one of the top defenses in the league, so looking forward for that challenge."

49ers lose another key defensive piece

The San Francisco 49ers and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh have had to deal with key injuries all season, and will continue to do so entering the postseason.

49ers linebacker Tatum Bethune will miss the entire postseason due to a groin injury, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Monday. Bethune, who filled in for the injured Fred Warner, suffered the injury in the Week 18 loss to the Seahawks. Shanahan added that Bethune may need surgery, but said a decision has yet been made.

Bethune started eight of his 14 appearances in 2025, racking up 94 tackles, four tackles for loss and one sack.

Chargers LB Perryman reinstated

Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman is expected to be available for the playoffs after being reinstated from a two-game suspension on Monday.

Perryman missed L.A.'s final two regular-season games after being penalized by the NFL for "repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players." The veteran linebacker has logged 47 tackles (30 solo) and three pass deflections across 10 regular-season games.

Von Miller back in Washington in 2026?

The Commanders had the NFL's oldest roster this season, but one of their key veterans has expressed an interest in returning in 2026.

Von Miller announced Monday he'd like to continue playing at least one more season, and would prefer to stay in Washington. Miller, who signed a one-year deal last offseason, will turn 37 in March, the same month he will also be a free agent.

"I think I proved to myself I can play another year," Miller said, per NBC. "I want to be here, but I’m not in a position to start making demands and saying where I want to play and where I want to be at. Whoever wants me, that’s where I’ll be. But I definitely proved to myself that I can play next year. I would love to be a Commander. I got my house here. Kids got all type of Commanders’ gear and stuff. DQ [head coach Dan Quinn] does a great job of keeping me healthy and ready to go as far as vet days and rest, and I would love to be able to run that back."

The ‘25 campaign was Miller’s first full season since 2018. He started three of his 17 games played and accumulated nine sacks, 26 tackles and six tackles for loss.

Dolphins preparing for QB competition?

After another season of failed expectations in which the Miami Dolphins missed the playoffs for the second straight year, they enter another offseason of uncertainty, starting with who'll be their next general manager and starting quarterback in 2026.

Head coach Mike McDaniel, who is 35-32 in his four seasons, indicated Monday that he will be part of the decision-making in both processes. Though he did not specifically say he has been told by Dolphins ownership that he's returning next season — nor has the team made an official announcement — McDaniel said he has spoken with owner Stephen Ross.

Beyond front office decisions, the Dolphins will need to figure out what they're going to do at quarterback after Tua Tagovailoa was benched for the final three games of the season because of poor play.

McDaniel said Monday there will be a quarterback competition to determine Miami's 2026 starter, and he will meet with Tagovailoa on Tuesday morning to discuss the season.

Tagovailoa threw for 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns but showed a stark decline in accuracy and mobility, just one season after signing a four-year, $212.4 million extension in July 2024. He finished second in the NFL with 15 interceptions, which was a career high.

Tagovailoa is guaranteed $54 million for 2026, and the Dolphins would incur significant hits to the salary cap by releasing him. Releasing him next year would result in a $99 million dead cap charge. If the move is designated as a post-June 1 release, those charges are split over two years, with $67.4 million allocated to the 2026 cap and $31.8 million in 2027.

Bucs HC Bowles confident in '26 return

Todd Bowles isn’t worried about his job security after an epic collapse by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Everything unraveled after a 6-2 start and the Buccaneers (8-9) failed to win their fifth straight NFC South title when Atlanta beat New Orleans on Sunday to give Carolina a three-way tiebreaker advantage.

Bowles had led Tampa Bay to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons after replacing Bruce Arians in 2022. He has three years remaining on his contract, and he’s operating as if he’ll return for a fifth season.

"I’ve earned the chance," Bowles said about coming back. "I’ve won three straight division titles, so that says a lot as far as I’m concerned. I don’t really have a message for fans other than true fans are true fans, and we’re going to try to do our best to go out there and win for them. They’re going to feel how they feel, but that’s not a coach’s problem. The coach’s problem is to make the team better and that’s all I’m looking forward to."

Bowles will meet with the Glazer family on Wednesday for a typical end-of-season conversation with the ownership group. But there’s no indication Bowles’ job is in jeopardy and that could be due to the realization he simply didn’t have enough talent on the roster.

Bowles wouldn’t put the blame on roster construction.

"I feel like we had enough talent to win," he said. "The mistakes we made weren’t talent-driven, they were more mistake-driven."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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