On September 18th, 2010 I sadly tuned in to Kirk Cousins’ wild win for the Michigan State Spartans, against my beloved Dayne Crist-led Fightin’ Irish of Notre Dame.
Kirk threw for 245 yards, 2 Touchdowns, and a pick. Sparty thrillingly won in OT 34-31 to send the Irish to a disappointing 1-2 start and a very frustrated 13-year-old me to bed.
Kirk was not the most popular guy on campus after the game, as it was his roommate Aaron Bates, the punter, who threw a fake field goal touchdown pass to win the game.
Though this was just one game, it (probably) gave Kirk a glimpse into the waiting game ahead for his NFL career.
RGIII
After a 5-11 season with “Sexy Rexy” Rex Grossman in 2011, the then-Redskins needed a new QB1.
In the 2012 NFL draft, they selected Robert Griffin III with the second overall pick. With Grossman still on the squad, Washington surprisingly picked Kirk Cousins at 102 overall in the 4th round. As you may know, they needed a huge QB room with all the injuries surrounding RGIII.
With the absolute beatings RGIII took, it wouldn’t be long until Kirk would get a start. His first start came against the Cleveland Browns in week 15 of the 2012 season, rallying the offense to a 28-point second half and a 38-21 win.
Of course, Washington couldn’t give up on the Heisman winner that easily, as the following year Kirk wouldn’t start until week 15 and on after more RGIII injuries. Jay Gruden took over as coach in 2014 and started Kirk for 5 games, but due to poor showings, he was replaced by Colt McCoy.
YOU LIKE THAT?!
Unfortunately for RGIII, his time as a starter came to an end. Fortunately for Kirk, he assumed the starting role. Lights out at that. In 2015, he threw for 4166 yards on nearly 70 percent passing, with 29 TDS.
Washington’s 2015 comeback against the Buccaneers is where the legend of Kirk Cousins really begins. Down 0-24 in quarter two, he finished with 317 yards total yards, 4 TDs, and a 31-30 comeback win over the Bucs.
His performance was incredible, but the meme/gif-worthy content is what propelled him into a larger than life character. “YOU LIKE THAT?! YOU LIKE THAT?!” he screamed into a camera on the way to the locker room. It ddn’t take long for this soundbite to go viral just about everywhere.
Washington made the playoffs with Kirk once but lost at home to the Packers in the Wild Card round 35-18. Kirk would finish his Redskisn tenure with a 26-30-1 record, just over 16,000 yards, and 99 touchdowns.
Skol
After Teddy Bridgewater suffered an unfortunate bout of injuries, the Minnesota Vikings needed a new QB1.
Enter Kirk Cousins, who signed a fully guaranteed contract of 3 years, 84 million dollars.
In Kirk’s 2nd season with the Vikings, he made the playoffs. Against the New Orleans Saints, he tossed for 242 yards and one touchdown to get his first and only playoff win of his career thus far (The Vikings would fall to the San Francisco 49ers 27-10 the following week in the divisional round).
Kirk experienced a playoff drought until the 2022 season when Minnesota came up short against the Giants.
Unfortunately, in week 8 of the 2023 season against the Green Bay Packers, he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury.
Kirk’s tenure in Minnesota felt incredibly short, even though he was there for six seasons. In a move (or lack thereof) that many questioned, the front office failed to secure another contract out of Kirk. He was probably the best QB they had seen since Dante Culpepper’s time in the Twin Cities.
He ended his career with the Vikes with 23,265 yards on 67.9% passing and 171 TDs.
Kirk goes down to the ATL
On March 13th, 2024, Kirk signed a 4-year, 180 million-dollar contract with the Atlanta Falcons.
Many fans questioned giving a 4-year contract of that size to a 36-year-old. Owner Arthur Blank must really be making a fortune on those cheap concessions at the Mercedes Benz Superdome and all those DIY projects at the Home Depot.
The season Kirk is off to is pretty spectacular. I could mention all of the stats from the season thus far, but throwing for 37% of your total yards this season(1373) in ONE GAME takes the cake! Following that performance with another viral moment, swag surfin’ in front of the Falcons crowd, is the icing on top of the cake.
After what seemed like an eternity for Kirk to rise to a starting role, he’s slinging the ball better than ever now. If you throw for 509 yards in a single game, you can swag surf all you want, and Kirk is enjoying his time in the spotlight!
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