The Falcons new quarterback met with the Atlanta media for the first time after signing his brand new four-year, $180 million contract soon after the league new year began on Wednesday. There were many encouraging moments from the Kirk Cousins press conference, but among the several topics discussed, this is the statement that stood out the most.
“I want to retire a Falcon,” Cousins said as he shined a light on why he chose Atlanta over his former team in Minnesota.Â
“I think in Minnesota, it was trending over the last couple offseasons to being somewhat year-to-year,” said Cousins. “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.”
The Falcons made Kirk Cousins feel wanted throughout the recruiting process. Minnesota appeared to make a late attempt to retain him, but Atlanta was going to do whatever it took to land their guy. From the top down, it was a group effort that included the general manager, new head coach Raheem Morris, who worked with Cousins in Washington, and even the players.
Atlanta was described by many last season as a talented yet underachieving roster. They have a lot of pieces in place, but they were hamstrung by dismal quarterback play. One could make the argument that with Kirk Cousins, the Falcons have gone from the worst quarterback situation in the NFC to the best. For a team desperate to break a six-year playoff drought, they saw an opportunity and refused to let Cousins out of the room without getting a deal done.
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Photo: Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire
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