Falcons
Falcons QB Kirk Cousins has looked solid in his six starts this season, leading the team to three wins in that time. Atlanta HC Raheem Morris is leaving every option on the table in 2026, including keeping Cousins despite his scheduled $57.5 million cap hit.
“Everything is on the table,” Morris said, via Josh Kendall of The Athletic. “We will see where that goes, but that is definitely up for discussion once we get to the end of the season.”
“We planned on the amount of years we put in his contract and hopefully potentially more. We will all sit down at the end of the season and have those discussions and talk about those things.”
Morris reflected on the decision to bench Cousins last year and felt he didn’t have much of a choice. However, he’s not surprised that the veteran has found success and expressed pride in how Cousins has turned it around.
“I never thought he wasn’t a valuable starting quarterback. He just didn’t play that way at the end of last year when we needed it most, and that’s what forced me to make the switch.”
“I’m not shocked by Kirk going in and doing a very nice job. That’s what he was brought here to do. That’s what he was brought here to play like. He got his confidence back, got a lot of stuff back. He feels a lot better, playing a lot better, playing a lot faster, second year in the system for him. He looks good. I’m extremely proud of him.”
Panthers
Panthers S Lathan Ransom picked off Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield to seal their biggest win of the season, a week after committing a back-breaking penalty that led to a tough loss against the Saints. Ransom spoke on putting a lowlight of his career behind him and turning around to make a season-changing play.
“I understand the game’s not won or lost on one play. But people behind that phone going to have their own opinions,” Ransom said, via Joseph Person of The Athletic. “I just heard all the noise, listened to it and used that as fuel for this game. … I’ve played a lot of ball. So it didn’t take me long to get over it at all.”
Carolina CB Mike Jackson credited Ransom for tuning out all of the noise that came with his penalty and responding like a “grown man.”
“He responded like a grown man should,” Jackson said. “Everybody was talking trash to him, maybe he shouldn’t be in the game, this, that. And he responded like he should. I’m proud of him. At the end of the day, it’s grown-man football and he showed that.”
- Panthers LB Thomas Incoom was fined $5,722 for a late hit, S Lathan Ransom was fined $5,996 for use of the helmet, OT Ikem Ekwonu was fined $11,593 for a late hit, and CB Michael Jackson was fined $20,611 for use of the helmet.
Saints
Saints WR Chris Olave admitted that he contemplated retirement after a hit against the Panthers led to the fourth concussion of his short NFL career.
“It was a tough time last year,” Olave said, via ESPN. “I was only 24 years old, contemplating retirement, especially with the head injuries, but I prayed about it. My fam, my close fam was around me. They stuck by my side and I just gave it another try, another chance. And it’s been a great year.”
Olave also said that he is hoping to sign a contract extension to remain with New Orleans.
“Yeah, they continue. It’s been a clear communication, but I ain’t really focused on that right, no,” Olave added. “I just finished trying to finish the year off, it’s been a couple conversations here and there, but I just want to prove that I’m one of the top receivers in the league year-in, year-out when I got a full year. So I’ve just got to finish these last two [games] strong, and that conversation’s going to come. This is where I want to be, man. They took a chance on me. They traded up in the draft to be able to come get me. They’ve been nothing but good to me. They was here for me last year when I was going through that tough time, but they told me to take my time. They stood by my side. And even this year, when Kellen came in, he still believed in me through the ups and downs this year, he kept coming to me. I’m super grateful for that and I can’t thank the organization enough for that.”
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