Kirk Cousins says he dealt with shoulder, elbow injuries before Falcons benched him

Before his likely imminent free agency in March, Kirk Cousins wants NFL teams to know that there was a reason for his poor play before being benched by the Atlanta Falcons, and it wasn't the torn Achilles injury that he suffered in 2023.

Cousins revealed that he suffered an injury in Week 10 that lingered for the rest of the season during an appearance on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" on Tuesday.

"Against the Saints, I got hit pretty good in my right shoulder and elbow and from there, kind of dealing with that was something I was working through and just never really could get it to where I wanted it," Cousins said.

He maintained that he has good football left to play and the offseason provides time for his ankle, shoulder and elbow to get fully healthy.

Michael Penix Jr. was named the Falcons' starting quarterback for Week 16, effectively ending Cousins' career in Atlanta despite signing a four-year, $180 million free agent deal last offseason. The decision came after the veteran QB threw for only 112 yards in a 15-9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

In his two previous games, Cousins threw a combined six interceptions in losses to the Los Angeles Chargers and Minnesota Vikings. He played four games after getting hurt against the Saints.

Despite the injury, Cousins threw for 3,508 yards while completing 66.9% of his passes for 18 touchdowns in 14 games. Yet he did tie for the NFL lead in interceptions with 16.

Penix, who the Falcons curiously selected No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft despite signing Cousins in free agency, averaged 245 yards passing during the final three games of the season. His last game in Week 18 was his best, completing 21-of-38 yards for 312 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 44-38 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers.

With Penix emerging as the Falcons' starter and Cousins due a $10 million roster bonus on March 17, Atlanta is expected to cut the veteran QB before that date. Yet if Cousins is fully healthy, his career performance is expected to attract plenty of interest from teams looking for quarterback help.

The Cleveland Browns will be in need for a QB after Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles a second time while working his way back from an initial tear. Cousins could also draw attention from the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints and Raiders as those teams look to develop a young quarterback.