
CBS Sports is looking for someone to fill in on The NFL Today for Atlanta Falcons president of football, Matt Ryan, who was officially installed on Tuesday morning. According to the network, they are turning back to Flowery Branch for their guest analyst, and quarterback Kirk Cousins will fill in for their coverage of the NFL’s Divisional Round and the AFC Championship.
Kirk Cousins will join THE NFL TODAY as a guest analyst for CBS Sports' coverage of the Divisional round and AFC Championship pic.twitter.com/XRF7H60Ja4
— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) January 14, 2026
The Falcons’ quarterback will sit in with the studio crew, alongside CBS NFL analyst Kyle Long, and their first assignment will be to cover the matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos on Saturday afternoon.
Cousins is not unfamiliar with roles on television. His last appearance came last season during the Divisional Round matchup between the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs on ESPN, but he also made a pair of appearances on the Netflix show Quarterback.
It would not be all that surprising to see Cousins, 37, take on a role on television after he finishes his NFL career. He just completed his 14th season in the league, and the four-time Pro Bowler is known for his ability to articulate the complexity of football in simple terms.
Simply put, he would be fantastic on television.
However, fans will likely need to wait for that time for a few more seasons. Cousins started eight games this season, including each of the final seven. He finished his season at 5-3 and threw for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
The Falcons recently agreed to a reworked deal with the veteran quarterback that will likely signal the end of his time in Atlanta. The new deal sets the pair up for a decision on his future in Atlanta to come by the third day of the league year (March 13th).
Ryan had been with CBS for their studio analysis for the last two seasons, but for the third season with the network. He bid an emotional farewell to the program on Sunday alongside Bill Cowher, Nate Burleson, and James Brown.
He will come to Atlanta and take on the role of primary decision maker for the franchise he called home for 14 years. The first major task for Ryan is to determine which tandem will lead the Falcons into the 2026 offseason. Several candidates have already interviewed for the role of head coach, while Ian Cunningham appears to be a frontrunner for the role of general manager. Both positions have more evolution still to come.
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