Kirk Cousins is heading from Minnesota to Atlanta after making a strategic move into free agency and signing another large contract.
According to a person with knowledge of the details who spoke to The Associated Press under the condition of anonymity, Cousins and the Falcons reached an agreement on Monday for a four-year, $180 million contract with a $100 million guarantee. The deal cannot be signed until Wednesday, when the new league year starts.
According to the source, Cousins receives a $50 million signing bonus and has full guaranteed pay for 2024 and 2025. For quarterbacks in the NFL, the yearly average worth of $45 million would place them in the top 10.
After going through Desmond Ridder and Tyler Heinicke in succession at quarterback last season, Atlanta had a clear need at the position, and Cousins’ wife Julie was raised in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta. Even though it meant the 35-year-old would have to leave a cozy arrangement in Minnesota, the match seemed evident.
And what do you know? In 2024, the Falcons and Vikings are supposed to go on the road to play.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stated in a statement released by the team, “After significant and positive dialogue with Kirk and his representatives, we were unable to reach agreement on a contract that fits the short and long-term visions for both Kirk and the Minnesota Vikings.” “Kirk has a particular position in Vikings history, and we are grateful for his six seasons of leadership and service to the organization and the community of Minneapolis-St. Paul. We send our warmest wishes to him, Julie, his wife, and their kids.
The Falcons signed Marcus Mariota and selected Ridder in the third round after trading for franchise player Matt Ryan in 2022. The Falcons have lost more than seven games for six straight seasons as a result of both of their disastrous moves.
The NFC South is quite open, though, and with first-round draft selections from each of the previous three years in running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London, and tight end Kyle Pitts, Cousins in Atlanta will have some exciting young talent surrounding him.
The offense Cousins will run with the Falcons is one that is recognizable because both new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and head coach Raheem Morris, like Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, were once Los Angeles Rams players.
Recovering from the first injury of his career—a torn Achilles tendon in his right foot—Cousins finished the previous season with the third-best passer rating in the league after missing eight games for the Vikings with a 103.8 rating.
The definition of a late bloomer, Cousins put on some of his best games since O’Connell was hired by the Vikings in 2022.
Regardless of how this discussion turned out, they would still require a succession plan because of Cousins’ advanced age and their dedication to a “competitive rebuild,” as Adofo-Mensah has referred to it on multiple occasions and emphasized in his comments on Monday.
Adofo-Mensah stated, “We always included layers of contingencies regarding the quarterback position in our approach heading into free agency.” “We are making plans that will enable us to keep assembling a team capable of contending for a championship.”
The Vikings struggled to a 7-10 finish as Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall, and Joshua Dobbs took turns filling in for Cousins in the final minutes. Their efforts were mediocre at best.
The Vikings were serious in their desire to continue with Cousins, but given their cap situation and the recent improvement and outlook around them by their NFC North foes they had to have a limit about how much — and for how long — they could guarantee. With the 11th pick in the draft next month, they’ll likely be too low to get one of the top quarterback prospects, but it’s a deep class and they’re almost certain to take one on the first or second day.
Cousins, for as much as he wanted to finish his career with Minnesota, he also made clear he wanted to be valued with a commitment beyond a token year.
“It’s not about the dollars, but what the dollars represent,” was how Cousins put it in an interview with reporters on Jan. 8.
