After being benched earlier this week, Kirk Cousins’ stay with the Atlanta Falcons will barely last 12 months.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cousins ​​and the Falcons are “inevitable” moving in different directions as the release is expected to be completed before he is due a $10 million roster bonus on March 17.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris announced Tuesday that rookie Michael Penix Jr. will be the starter “moving forward.”

Cousins ​​signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons on March 13, the first day of the 2024 league year. The deal included $100 million in guaranteed money.

Atlanta’s hope was that Cousins ​​would provide stability at the quarterback position after the last two years with Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder failed to produce positive results.

It was certainly a risky bet as Cousins ​​suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 8 of the 2023 season. He seemed limited at the start of this season before having a really good five-game stretch midway through the year.

Cousins ​​threw for 1,464 yards, 13 touchdowns and completed 72.2 percent of his attempts in Weeks 5 through 9. His five games since then have been terrible, with 1,180 yards, one touchdown, nine interceptions and a 62.7 completion percentage.

With a 6-3 record and a three-game lead in the NFC South and the tiebreaker over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Falcons no longer looked like a true playoff lock. They lost four straight games before picking up an ugly 15-9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15.

There’s still a chance the Falcons win the division, but to do so the Bucs will have to lose at least one of their final three games.

Releasing Cousins ​​will cost the Falcons $65 million in money, although they can spread that over two seasons by cutting him after June 1 to ease the burden.