It’s been two months since Kirk Cousins left the Minnesota Vikings to sign as a free agent with the Atlanta Falcons and we now have more details regarding the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback’s departure.
According to Sports Illustrated’ Albert Breer, Cousins’ decision to leave Minnesota after spending the past six seasons with the franchise was at least partially due to the Vikings informing him that they planned to select a potential successor at quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“A reason he decided to leave Minnesota is because the Vikings were very up front with the 35-year-old about the possibility that, even in the case he stayed, they’d take a quarterback of the future high in the draft,” Breer wrote of Cousins. “Tying that together with the team’s willingness to guarantee part, but not all, of a second year on another contract, Cousins figured that, if he stayed, there was a good shot that he’d be on the move in 2025.”
The irony, of course, is that Cousins went on to sign a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons, who proceeded to use the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The Michigan State product was clearly blindsided by his team’s shocking selection, with many speculating that it could mean that Atlanta will look to move on from Cousins sooner rather than later.
“The Falcons called Kirk Cousins when they were on the clock to let him know. From what I learned, Cousins understood a QB would be considered but he did not believe his successor would be taken in the first round. I’m told he’s a bit stunned,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on X.
As for Cousins’ former team, the Vikings traded up to the No. 10 pick to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. So whether he stayed in Minnesota or headed to Atlanta, there’s plenty of reason to believe that the 2023 Bart Starr Award recipient would have had a first-round rookie behind him on the depth chart.
