1. Kirk Daniel Cousins was born on August 19,1988 and is an American professional football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League.
57 Facts About Kirk Cousins
1. 2.
Kirk Cousins played college football for the Michigan State Spartans and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft.
3.
Kirk Cousins spent his first three seasons with the Redskins as a backup to Robert Griffin III before replacing an injured Griffin in 2015 and leading the team to a division title.
4.
Kirk Cousins signed a four-year deal with the Falcons in 2024.
5.
Kirk Cousins was born to Don Cousins and Maryann Cousins, the second oldest of their three children.
6.
Kirk Cousins broke his ankle in his junior year and was forced to attend camps in order to make an impression with recruiting colleges.
7.
Kirk Cousins finished his high school football career with 3,204 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions.
8.
Kirk Cousins participated in the Athletes in Action sports ministry.
9.
Kirk Cousins played in five games passing for a total of 310 yards and two touchdowns and one interception.
10.
Kirk Cousins led the Big Ten Conference in pass completions, pass attempts, and passing yards in 2011.
11.
Kirk Cousins was named second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches, and played his final game as a Michigan State Spartan on January 2,2012, defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in the Outback Bowl.
12.
Kirk Cousins was selected by the Washington Redskins as the seventh choice in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft, making him the 102nd draft pick overall.
13.
On May 31,2012, Kirk Cousins signed a four-year contract with the Redskins.
14.
Kirk Cousins was named the backup quarterback over incumbent starter Rex Grossman.
15.
Kirk Cousins made his NFL debut in the third quarter of a Week 5 loss to the Atlanta Falcons after Griffin suffered a concussion.
16.
Kirk Cousins threw his first NFL touchdown pass on a 77-yard pass to Santana Moss but threw two interceptions in the last two series of the game while trying to tie the game.
17.
Later that week, Kirk Cousins was voted the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week, becoming the third Redskins rookie to receive the honor that season.
18.
Kirk Cousins finished his rookie year with 466 passing yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions in three games and one start.
19.
Kirk Cousins finished the game 3-of-10 for 31 yards and was unable to rally the team to victory.
20.
On December 11,2013, Kirk Cousins was named starting quarterback for the rest of the year after Shanahan deactivated Robert Griffin III for the remainder of the season in order to protect him for the following year, with Rex Grossman as Kirk Cousins's backup.
21.
Kirk Cousins finished his second professional season with 854 passing yards, four touchdowns, and seven interceptions in five games and three starts.
22.
On February 2,2014, it was reported that Kirk Cousins had stated that he was open to a trade from the Redskins.
23.
In Week 5, against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks, Kirk Cousins showed progress from the embarrassing loss to the Giants by throwing for two touchdowns without an interception, including a 68-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson.
24.
Kirk Cousins tied a franchise record for completions in a game with 33, tying Jason Campbell who did the same in 2007.
25.
Kirk Cousins was named National Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his game against Tampa Bay.
26.
Kirk Cousins was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for this game against the Saints.
27.
Kirk Cousins became the first Redskins quarterback since Sonny Jurgensen in 1970 to have at least four passing touchdowns in three or more games in one season.
28.
Kirk Cousins was ranked 85th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.
29.
Kirk Cousins was set to become an unrestricted free agent in the 2016 offseason, but the Redskins used the non-exclusive franchise tag on him on March 1,2016.
30.
Kirk Cousins was ranked 70th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.
31.
Kirk Cousins finished the season 347-of-540 for 4,093 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.
32.
Kirk Cousins was ranked 94th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.
33.
On March 15,2018, Kirk Cousins signed with the Vikings on a fully guaranteed three-year contract worth $84 million.
34.
The Vikings won their next two games, against the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions, with Kirk Cousins passing for five touchdowns and an interception combined.
35.
Kirk Cousins finished his first season with the Vikings with 4,298 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions to go along with 123 rushing yards and a touchdown.
36.
Kirk Cousins was ranked 78th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.
37.
Kirk Cousins finished the 2019 season with 3,603 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, and six interceptions to go along with 63 rushing yards and a touchdown.
38.
Kirk Cousins was ranked 58th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.
39.
On March 18,2020, Kirk Cousins signed a two-year, $66 million contract extension with the Vikings.
40.
Kirk Cousins finished the game with a total quarterback rating of 15.9, the third-lowest mark in Vikings franchise history.
41.
Kirk Cousins threw all three interceptions in the first half of the game.
42.
Kirk Cousins was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
43.
Kirk Cousins was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
44.
Kirk Cousins finished the season with 4,265 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions to go along with 156 rushing yards and a touchdown.
45.
Kirk Cousins drew controversy over his decision not to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, although he agreed to follow NFL protocols.
46.
Kirk Cousins finished the season with 4,221 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions to go along with 115 rushing yards and a touchdown.
47.
Kirk Cousins was nominated to his third Pro Bowl of his career.
48.
Kirk Cousins was ranked 99th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.
49.
On March 13,2022, Kirk Cousins signed a one-year, $35 million fully guaranteed contract extension through the 2023 season.
50.
Kirk Cousins's eight game-winning drives led the NFL for the 2022 season and tied the NFL record for a single season with Matthew Stafford's 2016 season.
51.
Kirk Cousins was named as a Pro Bowler for his 2022 season.
52.
Kirk Cousins's two passing touchdowns were to K J Osborn and Irv Smith Jr.
53.
On March 13,2024, Kirk Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons.
54.
Kirk Cousins married Julie Hampton on June 28,2014, in Atlanta, Georgia.
55.
Kirk Cousins is a cousin of Major League Baseball pitcher Jake Kirk Cousins.
56.
Kirk Cousins has supported Compassion International and its "Fill the Stadium" initiative.
57.
Kirk Cousins was recorded on-and-off the field during the 2022 NFL season for a Netflix and NFL Films documentary series, Quarterback, which debuted on Netflix on July 12,2023.