While the Atlanta Falcons mull over the possibility of trading for Myles Garrett, or pursuing D.J. Reed in free agency, quarterback Kirk Cousins offered up a defiant take on his future after the late-season benching.

Cousins said he’s not done, according to GMFB: Overtime via nfl.com.

“I definitely feel like I have a lot of good football left in me,” Cousins said of his Falcons future.

Making 14 starts for the Falcons, Cousins passed for 3,508 yards with 18 touchdowns and an unsightly 16 interceptions, the highest total in the NFL.

Falcons QB Kirk Cousins wants another chance

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) prepares for a game against the New York Giants at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Cousins said the final chapter of his NFL novel has not been written yet.

“Time will tell,” Cousins said. “It's still kind of uncertain. We'll get to March and know a lot more. But I think the focus for me really is getting healthy. That's really my focus is I gotta get healthy.

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“I'm no good to the Falcons, I'm no good to a team, if I'm not feeling really good. That's really where my focus has been. Through January and February now that the season has wound down. Really taking all the time I can to get my body feeling really good.”

The 36-year-old Cousins suffered an Achilles injury in 2023 that cost him the last nine games of the Vikings season. He signed with the Falcons as a free agent last winter for four years and $180 million. Cousins now faces the prospect of being a backup quarterback for the first time in his 11-year NFL career.

If he’s still a starter, it probably won’t be with the Falcons. They’ve hitched their wagon to Michael Penix Jr., who started three games as a rookie. Cousins probably sealed his fate with the Falcons when he produced one touchdown and nine interceptions in a five-game stretch. That’s hideous for anybody.

Cousins tried to lean on the injury to explain some of his poor performance.

“I think there was a little bit of just trying to get my right ankle back around the Achilles,” Cousins said. “But the Achilles itself healed really well. Even then, we were 6-3 … doing a lot of good things, even if the right ankle wasn't perfect. Nobody's perfect in this league. We're never feeling 100 percent.

“So it didn't really affect me too much, but then against the Saints (in Week 10), I got hit pretty good in my right shoulder and elbow. From there, kinda dealing with that. It was something I was working through. Just never could get it really to where I wanted it.”