Kirk Cousins explains "special opportunity" in Atlanta led to him signing with Falcons

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins spoke on The Athletic's Scoop City to provide some context about why he ended up leaving the Minnesota Vikings this offseason. Cousins explained that Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell told him "Hey if we sign you back, I would think it’s very unlikely that we would draft somebody.’ Or something to that effect...but I also know that in this league things change.” Minnesota would not be able to commit to Cousins and as Cousins outlined in the offseason, it's not about the dollars, it's about what the dollars represent. In Atlanta, the dollars represented at least two years of stability and provided a "special opportunity" for Cousins to compete sooner rather than later.

“I did feel like I had a great thing going with Minnesota, so it was really going to take a really special opportunity not to continue with Minnesota, and that’s really what Atlanta provided when I looked at the roster and what we would have here on the field and off the field...certainly a big change, but feel good about where we landed.”

Cousins goes on to express that he and his wife Julie weren't the biggest fans of the drafting of rookie quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. , but knows that despite Atlanta's belief in him, nothing is going to be handed to him, even if he is guaranteed the most money of any free agency in history.

“You’ve got to earn everything. You just have to go out and play the best you can and believe that if you play well at the quarterback position, there will always be a team or a market for you to be able to keep playing.”

Cousins has been playing at a high level, looking similar to the player in the first eight weeks of 2023 that was second in passing yards and touchdowns. NFL Network analyst and Hall of Fame wide receiver Steve Smith noted that Cousins is a clear upgrade at quarterback when he visited their open practice on Saturday.

“You’re looking for somebody efficient who knows how to do their job...I have always admired Kirk. I think he’s efficient. I think he knows what he’s doing. He knows where to go with the ball.”

As he continues to heal from his Achilles injury, Cousins continues to excel at training camp, impressing fans to the point where the Falcons have completely sold out of season tickets for the 2024 season.

Cousins is taking a chance betting on being the missing piece for this Falcons offense and that this "special opportunity" to play with players like Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts becomes more than just an illusion of talent.