Kirk Cousins' first season with the Atlanta Falcons did not go as planned for either party, and now the quarterback has finally shed some light on why things went sideways for him after a strong start.

Cousins said Tuesday on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" that he took a hit during the team's Week 10 game against the New Orleans Saints and hurt his right shoulder and elbow. Previously, he and the team had maintained that he was healthy.

"I, against the Saints, 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.

The Falcons lost that game, which started a four-game losing streak that sent them from 6-3 to 6-7. Cousins was benched in favor of rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in Week 16 after a stretch with nine interceptions and just one touchdown pass over five games.

Cousins was listed as limited on the injury report for one day during Week 11 for a right shoulder and right elbow injury, before the Falcons' game on the road against the Denver Broncos. That day was just a walk-through, though, and the injury report was an estimate. Cousins said after the Broncos game that it was just a "clerical error" and he was 100% healthy.

Cousins tore his right Achilles in Week 8 of the 2023 season. He said the Achilles heeled well, but his right ankle also never felt right in 2024.

"Even if the right ankle wasn't perfect, nobody's perfect in this league," Cousins said. "We're never feeling a 100%. So, it didn't really affect me too much."

The Falcons won just two more games after that 6-3 start and, after being in pole position to win the NFC South with a pair of wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they ended up missing the playoffs. Atlanta has not had a winning season nor a playoff appearance since 2017.

Now, Cousins' future with the Falcons is unclear. Penix performed well in his three games as starter and the team is committed to him moving forward. Atlanta general manager Terry Fontenot said last month that the team was "very comfortable" with Cousins being Penix's backup in 2025.

Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with Atlanta last offseason with $90 million guaranteed.

If the Falcons cut Cousins before the start of the 2025 league year (March 12), they would get hit with $65 million in dead money charge, coming from his fully guaranteed base salary of $27.5 million and $37.5 million in remaining proration, per Roster Management System. If they do it with a post-June 1 designation, the dead money would spread over the 2025 and 2026 seasons -- $40 million in 2025 and $25 million in 2026.

A trade would be another option, if Cousins gives the go-ahead. He has a no-trade clause. Cousins played well earlier this season and could be attractive to teams that believe he'll be better -- and healthier -- in 2025. If the Falcons traded Cousins, they would be on the hook for the $37.5 million of remaining proration, while his fully guaranteed $27.5 million of base salary would transfer to his new team. There's also a likelihood that Atlanta would have to eat some of that $27.5 million in a deal.

Cousins also has a $10 million roster bonus for 2026 that would become fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2025 league year. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported in December that the Falcons are likely to cut Cousins before that $10 million bonus kicks in, which Fontenot denied. Fontenot's remarks after the season made it seem like the Falcons were looking to get value back from Cousins in a trade.

On Tuesday, Cousins said his future is "still kind of uncertain" and he'll know more in March.

"I definitely still feel like I have a lot of good football left in me," Cousins said.

He said his focus now will be getting healthy.

"I'm no good to the Falcons, I'm no good to a team if I'm not feeling really good," Cousins said. "And so that's really where my focus has been through January and February. Now that the season has wound down I'm really taking all the time I can to get my body feeling really good."