Kirk Cousins

Kirk Daniel Cousins is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the team then known as the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft as a backup to fellow rookie Robert Griffin III. Cousins occasionally appeared in games during his first three seasons before replacing Griffin following an injury in 2015, where he remained the team's starter until 2017. With the Redskins, Cousins set numerous franchise records and was named to the 2017 Pro Bowl. Since signing with the Vikings, Cousins has increased his stock significantly with two Pro Bowl selections in 4 years and is enjoying immense success in the current NFL season.

Kirk Cousins’ Early Life and Background

Kirk Cousins was born to Don Cousins and Maryann Cousins in Barrington, Illinois on August 19, 1988, the second oldest of their three children. Cousins attended Holland Christian High School in Holland, Michigan, where he starred in football, baseball (as a third baseman and a pitcher), and basketball for the Maroons athletic teams. He broke his ankle in his junior year and was forced to attend camps in order to make an impression on recruiting colleges. Cousins finished his high school football career with 3,204 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions.

After high school, Cousins was set to sign with Toledo or Western Michigan, until Mark Dantonio became the head coach at Michigan State in 2007. After Dantonio failed to sign his top targets at quarterback, he offered a scholarship to Cousins, which he accepted. He also participated in the Athletes in Action sports ministry.

Kirk Cousins Collegiate Career

Cousins was redshirted for the 2007 season. In 2008, he spent the season as the backup quarterback to Brian Hoyer. He played in five games passing for a total of 310 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. In 2009, he competed for and won the starting quarterback job against teammate Keith Nichol. He led Michigan State to a 6–7 (4–4) season with 19 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and 2,680 passing yards in 12 games. In 2010, he led Michigan State to an 11–2 (7–1) record and a share of the Big Ten Championship. He was named Second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches in 2011 and also won the 2011 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.

Who Drafted Kirk Cousins?

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. The pick surprised many analysts, as the Redskins had drafted 2011 Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III with the second overall pick to be their franchise quarterback. The Redskins acquired the Griffin III pick by giving the St. Louis Rams four high-value draft picks over three years. Cousins was viewed as an insurance policy in case Griffin was injured, with the team seeing starter potential in Cousins.

Kirk Cousins’ NFL Journey

After being drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft as a backup to a fellow rookie, Robert Griffin III, Cousins occasionally appeared in games during his first three seasons before replacing Griffin following an injury in 2015, where he remained the team's starter until 2017. With the Redskins, Cousins set numerous franchise records and was named to the 2017 Pro Bowl.

After two years of signing franchise tags and being unable to agree with the team on a long-term deal, Cousins signed a fully guaranteed three-year US$84 million contract with the Vikings as a free agent in 2018. Since then, he has been named to 2 further Pro Bowls with a third one seeming inevitable this season. He ranks third all-time in completion percentage with at least 1,500 pass attempts and is eighth in the NFL's all-time regular season career passer rating.

Kirk Cousins teams

Washington Redskins (2012-2017)

Cousins was viewed as an insurance policy by the Redskins and was thus selected by them as the seventh choice in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, making him the 102nd draft pick overall. On May 31, 2012, Cousins signed a four-year contract with the Redskins. Cousins barely played in his rookie season, with his first start coming in Week 15, where he finished with 26-of-37 passes for 329 yards and 2 touchdown passes and was voted the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week. Cousins finished his rookie year with 466 passing yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions in three games and one start. He served as a backup to Griffin over the next two years, barely starting and he totaled 854 passing yards, four touchdowns, and seven interceptions in five games and three starts for the 2013 season, and played for 4 games in the 2014 season, with mediocre performances. On August 31, 2015, Cousins was named the starter for the season. On October 25, Cousins helped lead the Redskins to their largest comeback win in franchise history. After being down 24-0, Cousins finished with 317 yards and four total touchdowns, three passing and one rushings, throwing the final touchdown pass to Jordan Reed in the final seconds of the game. He tied the franchise records for completions in a game with 33. He coined the famous “you like that?!” catchphrase at the end of the game and used it to raise money for charity. Cousins finished the 2015 season posting the highest completion percentage (74.7) in home games in NFL history, with a minimum of 100 attempts. He also 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. He also set the single-season passing yardage record for the Redskins with 4,166 yards. He also finished with 29 passing touchdowns, second in Redskins history, and a league-leading completion percentage of 69.8%.

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. The tag acted as a one-year, $20 million contract, which prevented other teams in the league from signing him without giving up two first-round draft picks to the Redskins. On Thanksgiving, Cousins passed for 449 yards and three touchdowns, putting him second on the list of most passing yards in a Thanksgiving Day game in NFL history. For his accomplishments in the month of November, Cousins won the NFC Offensive Player Of The Month award, his second time winning the award. Due to his performance in the season, Cousins was named to his first Pro Bowl. Again set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, Cousins and the Redskins attempted to work out a long-term deal before the start of free agency, but could only come to an agreement on the exclusive franchise tag on February 28, 2017, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to be franchise-tagged in consecutive years. Cousins won NFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 3 for his 365-yard and three-touchdown performance and finished the season 347-of-540 for 4,093 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.

Minnesota Vikings (2018-Present)

On March 15, 2018, Cousins signed with the Minnesota Vikings on a fully guaranteed three-year contract worth $84 million. This was the first fully guaranteed and, as of signing, highest-paying contract in NFL history. 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. In Week 11 of the 2019 season, Cousins threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns as the Vikings overcame a 20-point first-half deficit and won 27–23. He 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 and was named to his second career Pro Bowl.

On March 18, 2020, Cousins signed a two-year, $66 million contract extension with the Vikings. In Week 12, Cousins threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns and was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In the regular-season finale, he threw for 405 yards and three touchdowns, again earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Cousins finished the season with 4,265 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions to go along with 156 rushing yards and a touchdown. Cousins started the 2021 season with 351 passing yards and two touchdowns. Cousins drew controversy over his decision not to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, although he agreed to follow NFL protocols. Cousins finished the season with 4,221 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions to go along with 115 rushing yards and a touchdown. He was nominated to the third Pro Bowl of his career. On March 13, 2022, Cousins signed a one-year, $35 million fully guaranteed contract extension through the 2023 season.

Kirk Cousins Awards and Honours

Kirk Cousins NFL Records

• Greatest Comeback in NFL History (33-point deficit)

• Most game-winning drives in a single season: 8 (tied with Matthew Stafford)

• Most fourth-quarter comebacks in a single season: 8 (tied with Matthew Stafford)

Minnesota Vikings franchise records

• Most pass completions in a regular season: 425

• Most consecutive games with a passing touchdown: 39

• Most consecutive pass attempts without an interception: 224

• Most consecutive seasons with at least 3,600 passing yards

• Most consecutive pass completions to start a game: 17

Washington Commanders franchise records

• Most 300-yard passing games in a season: 6

• Most 300-yard passing games in career: 24

• Most pass completions in a regular season: 406

• Most consecutive passes without an interception at home: 232

• Most 400-yard passing games in career: 3

• Most 4,000-yard passing seasons: 3

• Most consecutive 4,000-yard passing seasons: 3

Kirk Cousins Net Worth

As of 2022, Kirk Cousins' net worth is estimated at 70m dollars. He earned 46.6m dollars in wages during his five-year spell at Washington and in his first couple of seasons at the Vikings he received another 54m dollars.

The Vikings star has also put pen to paper on endorsement deals with popular brands such as Bose and Nike, which has added to his fortune too.

Kirk Cousins family

Cousins is a practicing Evangelical Christian. He married Julie Hampton on June 28, 2014, in Atlanta, Georgia. As of 2019, Cousins and his wife have two sons, Cooper and Turner. During his time with the Redskins, Cousins earned the nickname "Captain Kirk" from the media for his presence as a leader, referencing the Star Trek character. He also appeared in several commercials with Easterns Automotive, a D.C. used car dealership, with former Washington teammates Josh Norman and Ryan Kerrigan. Kirk is a cousin of current Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jake Cousins.