Kirk Cousins has a single playoff victory in his long career. In six years in Minnesota, one playoff win. A 50-37-1 overall record in his 88 games with the Vikings is pretty good. No Super Bowl in Minnesota. Plenty of regular season success. Plenty of solid stats. One insane comeback. And more years of postseason disappointment. Oh, and now a torn Achilles to rehab.
Even so, he was perhaps the most sought-after free agent in the NFL this year, a repeat of when the Vikings added him in 2018. The Atlanta Falcons are betting at least $100 million that he’s the quarterback who can lead that other star-crossed franchise to its first Super Bowl championship.
The same day Cousins posted a video to social media thanking Minnesota Viking staff and fans for his time in Purple, he was introduced Wednesday evening by the Falcons, who made a huge financial commitment to land one of the biggest prizes of NFL free agency.
“When the owner, general manager, head coach and quarterback are on the same page, that’s when you really have a chance to go win a Super Bowl,” Cousins said at the team’s suburban training facility.
“As I look at the Atlanta Falcons, I believe strongly that the owner, head coach, general manager and quarterback can all be on the same page. That’s exciting for me and why I’m thrilled to be here.”
The 35-year-old Cousins knows there’s one big knock hanging over him: an inability to win the big game. Of his four career playoff starts, his only victory came in the wild-card round during the 2019 season.
“Winning is what it’s all about,” Cousins said. “I just want to win.”
For those hoping Cousins would take a shorter, less guaranteed contract in Minnesota and stay loyal to the Vikings, he put those thoughts to bed quickly.
"I think in Minnesota, it was trending over the last couple offseasons to being somewhat year-to-year," Cousins explained of his decision-making process that led him to the Falcons rather than re-signing with the Vikings. "As we talked with Atlanta, it felt like this was a place where, if I play at the level I expect to play, that I can retire a Falcon. That was something that really excited me and that's certainly the goal. You've got to earn the right to do that, but that was exciting to feel like I could get that opportunity here."
Meanwhile, the Vikings made it official, signing journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold to a one-year, $10 million deal as a "bridge" QB as they search for a long term answer in April's NFL Draft.
The USC product was drafted No. 3 overall by the New York Jets in 2018. After two head coaches in three seasons, Darnold was traded to the Carolina Panthers in 2021. Darnold opted to sign a one-year deal with San Francisco last year.
The Vikings are banking on Darnold having the talent to play productively in Kevin O'Connell's offense. Darnold has never had a chance to play on a team with much offensive talent around him. His time under center in New York and Carolina were with teams at the bottom of the league.
Expect a very interesting draft for the Vikings who pick at number 11. They could move up and try and grab one of the top four quarterbacks, see if someone falls to 11, or perhaps trade back and try and get Bo Nix of Oregon or Michael Penix of Washington.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.