The NFL’s offseason carousel is already spinning, with high-profile exits, extensions and comebacks shaping the early narrative ahead of the new league year on March 11.

In Atlanta, the Kirk Cousins era is drawing to a close before it ever truly settled. Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham confirmed at the NFL Scouting Combine that the veteran quarterback will be released when the league year opens.

“I did talk to Kirk and his representation, Mike McCartney, letting them know that we will release him on the first day of the league year,” Cunningham said. “We just felt that that was out of respect for Kirk and Mike, his agent, and what’s he’s done in his career, just that we owe that to him to allow him some clarity going into free agency.”

Cousins, who said on GMFB: Overtime earlier this month that he was “rejuvenated” after going 5-2 in relief of the injured Michael Penix Jr. late last season, now heads back to the open market approaching his 15th NFL season and 38th birthday.

Penix, meanwhile, is recovering from a partially torn ACL. Cunningham said the young quarterback is “where he should be” in the rehab process and that Atlanta is “confident he’s on track,” though president of football Matt Ryan has stopped short of publicly naming him QB1 for 2026.

While Cousins prepares for free agency, Dallas moved swiftly to avoid it with running back Javonte Williams. The Cowboys agreed to a three-year, $24 million extension, including $16 million guaranteed, after a resurgent campaign in which Williams rushed for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns at 4.8 yards per carry.

Signed last spring to a one-year, $3 million prove-it deal, Williams delivered balance to a Cowboys offense that had lacked it in recent seasons, earning long-term security before he could test the market.

Elsewhere, veteran tight end Zach Ertz is plotting a comeback of his own. The 35-year-old tore his ACL in Week 14 but plans to return for a 14th season in 2026 and is expected to be cleared around Week 1.

A free agent after posting 50 catches for 504 yards and four touchdowns with Washington, Ertz will rehab while navigating the market — determined not to let injury be the final chapter of a career that already ranks among the most productive ever at his position.