INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have informed quarterback Kirk Cousins they plan to release the 14-year veteran when NFL free agency opens next month, new general manager Ian Cunningham said Tuesday.
“What he’s done in his career, we owe that to him just to allow him some clarity going into free agency,” Cunningham said at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Cousins played two seasons with the Falcons with mixed-at-best results, signing a $180 million contract about six weeks before they drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in 2024. Penix won the job in 2025, before a season-ending knee injury made Cousins the starter again down the stretch.
Cousins still started 22 of 34 games over the past two seasons, but he was just 12-10 as a starter. He threw a league-most 16 interceptions in just 14 games in 2024. The 37-year-old is 88-77-2 as a starter with Washington, Minnesota and Atlanta.
With his recently reworked deal, Cousins would have his 2027 salary ($67.9 million) fully guaranteed if he were to remain on the roster by the third day of the new league year.
The Falcons also plan to place their franchise tag on tight end Kyle Pitts and keep him from becoming a free agent, Cunningham confirmed.
Pitts, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, had a career-high 88 receptions and five touchdowns last season. His 928 receiving yards were the second most among all NFL tight ends. The franchise tag value for tight ends this year is expected to be about $16 million.
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FILE - Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) walks off the field after an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Danny Karnik, File)
MONTREAL (AP) — Canadian regulators have approved Gulfstream G700 and G800 business jets in a move that comes weeks, after new tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump over the planes’ status in Canada.
A Transport Canada database shows that it certified the American company’s latest private planes on Monday, roughly a week after green-lighting two older Gulfstream models.
Marie-Justine Torres, a spokeswoman for Canada’s transport minister, confirmed on Tuesday that the certification was granted by Transport Canada.
Trump threatened last month to decertify and place tariffs on all Canadian-built planes unless the government approved Gulfstream business jets.
The go-ahead from Transport Canada came despite deicing concerns flagged by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which granted the G700 and G800 conditional certification in 2024.
The FAA said that Gulfstream, owned by General Dynamics, has until the end of this year to prove that the two plane types function “properly ... where ice may form in the fuel system.”
Late last month, Trump singled out Bombardier Inc. in a threat to ground Canadian-made aircraft and slap them with a 50% tariff, marking the latest escalation of trade tensions between Canada and the United States.
Trump said that he was retaliating against Canada for refusing to certify jets from Savannah, Georgia-based Gulfstream Aerospace.
Trump said that the U.S., in return, would decertify all Canadian aircraft, including planes from its largest aircraft maker, Bombardier.
“If, for any reason, this situation is not immediately corrected, I am going to charge Canada a 50% Tariff on any and all Aircraft sold into the United States of America,” Trump said in his post.
Bombardier and Gulfstream are head-to-head rivals, with the Canadian company's Global series battling for market share against Gulfstream’s latest models.
John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, said that certification is about safety and it would be unprecedented to decertify for trade reasons.
President Donald Trump arrives for an event to proclaim "Angel Family Day" in the East Room of the White House, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
