ArticlesFeaturedNFLOriginalsBy Michael Grant on

Kirk Cousins might not be the best quarterback, but he’s among the savviest.

Nobody has been a bigger winner in NFL free agency. A 35-year-old coming off a torn Achilles tendon put himself in a position to be the savior while collecting a fat paycheck. Cousins’ four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons continues his career trend of cashing in for top dollar.

According to NFL analytics expert Warren Sharp, by the time this latest contract ends, Cousins’ career earnings could reach $411 million ($329 million is fully guaranteed). And as Sharp also points out, that’s a staggering amount of money for a guy with one playoff victory in 12 seasons.  

Cousins has always been perplexing— a statistical marvel whose production doesn’t always equate to victories (76-67-2 regular-season record as a starter). He owns the eighth-highest career passer rating (98.2) in NFL history. Of the seven quarterbacks ahead of him, Deshaun Watson and Dak Prescott are the only ones to not reach the Super Bowl. Of course, it takes a lot to play for a championship. There are Hall of Famers who never did. The good news for Cousins is that he doesn’t necessarily have to make it to the Super Bowl to be considered a hero.

He just needs to make the Falcons relevant by getting them into the playoffs.

Cousins likely signed with Atlanta because it’s the easier path to success. Russell Wilson, also 35, might resurrect his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But in the AFC, he’s competing against Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, and C.J. Stroud. The NFC is more manageable, especially the NFC South, where a healthy Cousins is the best passer in that division. The NFC South winner hasn’t reached double-digit victories over the past two seasons. The Falcons are already the betting favorite to win the division.

Bear in mind, we don’t know how Cousins will fare after coming off a season-ending injury. However, even a limited Cousins will be a vast upgrade. Last year, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke combined for 17 touchdown passes to 16 interceptions. Ridder was particularly bad. The second-year player ranked 26th in passer rating (83.4). If the Falcons (7-10) were average at QB play, they might have won the NFC South over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-8).

Cousins is going to a team with a familiar offense. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson previously was the Los Angeles Rams’ quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator. Cousins’ head coach with the Minnesota Vikings is Kevin O’Connell, also a former Rams assistant. That means Cousins won’t have to make much of an adjustment.

Also, the best thing you can do for an aging quarterback is to surround him with young skill talent. The Falcons have tight end Kyle Pitts, wide receiver Drake London, and tailback Bijan Robinson. All of them are 23 years old or younger. They added free-agent receiver Darnell Mooney, who is just 26. That’s plenty of weapons to compete. All Cousins has to do is distribute the ball and run the offense. Before his injury, Cousins was on pace to post his third-best passer rating (103.8).

Does Cousins have limitations? Sure. He’s strictly a rhythm passer who struggles to make plays off-script. Cousins can’t improvise when the offense breaks down. There are also red-zone issues. He threw a league-high-tying three interceptions inside the 20 last year. His completion percentage in those situations was 48.9 percent— worse than Zach Wilson’s 50%.

However, instead of rehashing what Cousins can’t do, let’s focus on what he can do. He can be a good quarterback. And for the Falcons, that will be good enough.

About Michael Grant

Born in Jamaica. Grew up in New York City. Lives in Louisville, Ky. Sports writer. Not related to Ulysses S. Grant, Anthony Grant, Amy Grant or Hugh Grant.

View all posts by Michael Grant