Kirk Cousins #18 of the Atlanta Falcons looks on against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The situation has escalated for former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Cousins spent six seasons in Minnesota. He left for the Atlanta Falcons in free agency to the tune of $180 million over four years, with $90 million fully guaranteed. The Vikings planned to draft his successor and would not meet his contract demands.

Fast forward to Week 16 and the Falcons have benched Cousins for his successor, rookie first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. The veterans’ tenure is expected to end next offseason.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it is “inevitable.”

“Kirk Cousins’ divorce from the Falcons is expected to be finalized before his $10 million roster bonus is due March 17, with executives across the NFL fully expecting Atlanta to release him by then,” Schefter wrote on December 21. “The split between Cousins and the Falcons is inevitable at this point, according to multiple sources.”

If Cousins, a four-time Pro Bowler, does not take another snap this season, he will finish the campaign with 3,508 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, and a league-leading 16 interceptions on 66.9% completion.

His yardage and touchdowns are his fewest in any season since becoming a full-time starter in 2015, save for his injury-shortened 2023 campaign.