Kirk Cousins Talks About the Past and the Future
A year ago, the major topic in the Twin Cities was the mysterious future of Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who was in the final weeks of his employment and set to become an unrestricted free agent for the second time in his career.
Kirk Cousins Talks About the Past and the Future
Ultimately, the Vikings made him an offer, but he decided to leave town for the better offer from the Atlanta Falcons. Four years and $180 million, with $100 million guaranteed. The Vikings, instead, signed Sam Darnold, who would produce a Cousins-esque season of 35 touchdowns and 4300 yards and drafted J.J. McCarthy as the long-term solution.
However, not only were the Vikings thinking about the future in the draft, but so were the Falcons. Shockingly, rookie Michael Penix joined Cousins in the QB meeting room and eventually replaced the veteran in the starting lineup.
Cousins’ first (and possibly only) season in the NFC South didn’t go as planned. Less than a year removed from his torn Achilles that ended his 2023 campaign, the quarterback appeared to be ‒ how young people would call it ‒ washed.
It should be noted, though, that he had a decent start to the season with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions through nine games, guiding his new team to a 6-3 record.
He now revealed that he took a hard hit against the Saints in Week 10. That hit hurt his elbow, and his play subsequently dipped.
In his last five games, including the contest against the Saints, Cousins found the endzone just once while throwing an outrageous total of nine interceptions. That included a two-pick game in his return to Minnesota, a game in which Darnold tossed five touchdowns.
“The Achilles healed well,” Cousins told Good Morning Football. “There was a little bit of trying to get my right ankle back around the Achilles. … Against the Saints, got hit pretty good in my right shoulder and elbow and from there, kinda dealing with that was something I was working through. Just never could really get it to where I wanted it. So now that the season’s over, you’ve got the time and the energy to say ‘OK, let’s get the right ankle back, let’s get the shoulder back, let’s get the elbow back.’ And if we can do that, feel like I’ve got a new life ahead of me here in pro football.”
Cousins was benched after that five-game stretch, and the Falcons appear to be set with Penix as the QB1 going into the offseason. He showed some promise in the three games in charge of the offense, although his statistics looked like those of a rookie with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
The problem for the Falcons is Cousins’ enormous contract. A release would give the Falcons an additional $25 million cap hit and a total dead money number of $65 million. The Broncos decided to go that way with Russell Wilson a year ago; it remains to be seen whether the Falcons will, too.
A better option for the franchise would be a trade. Cousins does have a no-trade clause, just like he used to in Minnesota. However, if a team wanted to acquire the 36-year-old to start, he would surely waive that clause rather than sit on the bench.
The four-time Pro Bowler thinks he has some gas left.
“I definitely still feel like I have a lot of good football left in me,” Cousins declared. “Time will tell (what happens), it’s still kind of uncertain. We’ll get to March and know a lot more. But I think the focus for me, really, is getting healthy. I’m no good to the Falcons, I’m no good to a team if I’m not feeling really good.”
Although a controversial figure, Cousins was a reliable player for the Vikings, who usually delivered above-average seasons. In 88 games with the Purple, the passer recorded 23,265 passing yards, 171 passing touchdowns, and 55 interceptions. He ranks second in touchdowns and third in yards in Vikings franchise history.
Cousins, 36, will be a hot trade candidate in the next weeks.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt