Kirk Cousins is now an Atlanta Falcon, and his new home pulled off agrand welcome for him.Over a week ago, the former Washington and Minnesota passer agreedto a mostrous four-year, $180-million contract to represent the 404. Themove represents a massive quarterback upgrade for the Falcons,which had to contend with dismal play by sophomore Desmond Ridderand veteran Taylor Heinicke in 2023-24.
On Friday, Cousins, his wife Julie, and one of their sons paid a visit toMercedes-Benz Stadium, where they were greeted with an electronicbanner that flashed from its circular video screen:
Why did Kirk Cousins choose AtlantaFalcons over Minnesota Vikings?
The Kirk Cousins era is finally here in Atlanta, but it did not come easily.The Minnesota Vikings were not expected to give him a long-term, fullyguaranteed contract, but they were still favored to keep him, given thesuccess he attained there. But in his introductory press conference withthe Falcons, the four-time Pro Bowler emphasized that he wanted to besomewhere he could retire:
“It felt like this was a place where, if I play at the level I expect toplay, that I can retire a Falcon. That was something that really excitedme and that’s certainly the goal. You’ve got to earn the right to dothat, but that was exciting to feel like I could get that opportunityhere.”
In addition, he mentioned his familiarity with head coach RaheemMorris, who was the secondary coach during his early years inLandover, Maryland:
“He would walk down the hall to the quarterback meeting in OTAs. Iwas a rookie and didn’t know what was normal, but that wasn’tnormal to me before that and wasn’t normal after.”As I look back, he was one of the original people there in the roomwith those other names. The fact that I was in that room too, the chance to get back with someone from that room was a real thrill forme.”Cousins is expected to work with a well-stacked offensive core thatincludes running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier; wideoutsDrake London, Darnell Mooney, and Rondale Moore, and tight end DrakePitts. He will also enjoy the protective services of Pro Bowl offensivelinemen Chris Lindstrom and Jake Matthews.
