Career Timeline of Kirk Cousins: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Kirk Cousins made an impact.

Kirk Cousins is an American professional football quarterback currently playing for the Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL. He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 2012. Notably, Cousins holds a high completion percentage ranking sixth all-time among quarterbacks with at least 1,500 pass attempts and is 11th in all-time passer rating.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1945: Highest Completion Percentage

Kirk Cousins posted a league-leading completion percentage of 69.8% in the 2015 season, second in team history behind Sammy Baugh who completed 70.3% of his passes in 1945.

1950: Perfect Passer Rating

Against the New Orleans Saints on November 15, Kirk Cousins threw for a career-high four touchdowns and posted a perfect passer rating of 158.3, making him the first Redskins quarterback since 1950 to do that with at least 20 attempts. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for this game against the Saints.

1967: Past Redskins Passing Touchdown Record

In the 2015 season, Kirk Cousins threw 29 passing touchdowns, second in Redskins history behind Sonny Jurgensen who had 31 in 1967.

1970: Most Passing Touchdowns

In the 2015 season, Kirk Cousins became the first Redskins quarterback since Sonny Jurgensen in 1970 to have at least four passing touchdowns in three or more games in one season.

1986: Past Redskins Passing Yardage Record

In 1986, Jay Schroeder had 4,109 passing yards, setting a Redskins record. Kirk Cousins broke this record on January 3, 2016.

1994: Redskins Drafting Strategy

In 1994, the Redskins drafted Heath Shuler with the third overall pick and later drafted Gus Frerotte in the seventh round, echoing the team's strategy when they drafted Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins in the same draft.

2007: Tied Franchise Record

In 2007, Jason Campbell tied a franchise record for completions in a game. On October 25, Kirk Cousins tied this record with 33 completions, along with leading the Redskins to their largest comeback win in franchise history against the Buccaneers.

2008: Backup Quarterback

In 2008, Kirk Cousins was the backup quarterback to Brian Hoyer at Michigan State, playing in five games.

2009: Starting Quarterback

In 2009, Kirk Cousins won the starting quarterback job at Michigan State and led the team to a 6–7 season.

2010: Big Ten Conference Championship

In 2010, Kirk Cousins led Michigan State to an 11–2 record and a share of the Big Ten Conference Championship.

2011: Big Ten Football Championship Game

In 2011, Kirk Cousins led the Spartans to the first-ever Big Ten Football Championship Game. He also led the Big Ten Conference in pass completions, pass attempts, and passing yards.

2011: Robert Griffin III drafted by the Redskins

In 2011, the Washington Redskins drafted Robert Griffin III with the second overall pick to be their franchise quarterback.

January 2, 2012: Outback Bowl Victory

On January 2, 2012, Kirk Cousins played his final game as a Michigan State Spartan, defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in the Outback Bowl. He also won the 2011 Lowes's Senior CLASS Award.

May 31, 2012: Signed Redskins Contract

On May 31, 2012, Kirk Cousins signed a four-year contract with the Washington Redskins.

December 15, 2012: First NFL Start and Victory

On December 15, 2012, Kirk Cousins made his first NFL start against the Cleveland Browns, leading the Redskins to a 38–21 victory, passing for 329 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was later voted the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week.

2012: Game-winning Drive

In 2012, Kirk Cousins led a 90-yard game-winning drive against the Eagles, throwing a touchdown pass to Pierre Garçon with under a minute left in the fourth quarter to win the game 23–20.

2012: Drafted by the Redskins

In 2012, Kirk Cousins was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the NFL draft.

2012: NFC East Division Title

Kirk Cousins led the Redskins to a victory over the Eagles, winning the NFC East division title for the first time since Robert Griffin III did it in 2012.

December 11, 2013: Named Starting Quarterback

On December 11, 2013, Kirk Cousins was named the starting quarterback for the rest of the year after Robert Griffin III was deactivated, with Rex Grossman as his backup.

February 2, 2014: Open to Trade

On February 2, 2014, Kirk Cousins reportedly stated that he was open to a trade from the Redskins.

August 31, 2015: Named Season Starter

On August 31, 2015, Kirk Cousins was named the starter for the season over Robert Griffin III.

2015: Replacing Griffin

In 2015, Cousins replaced an injured Robert Griffin III and led the Washington Redskins to a division title.

2015: Highest Completion Percentage

Kirk Cousins finished the 2015 season posting the highest completion percentage (74.7) in home games in NFL history, with a minimum of 100 attempts, leading the Redskins to a 6–2 record at home.

January 3, 2016: Redskins Single-Season Passing Yardage Record

On January 3, 2016, Kirk Cousins set the Redskins single-season passing yardage record with 4,166 yards.

January 10, 2016: Wild Card Round Loss

On January 10, 2016, Kirk Cousins completed 29-of-46 passes for 329 yards and scored two touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round, but the Redskins lost 35–18. He was named the PFWA Most Improved Player and ranked 85th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

March 1, 2016: Franchise Tagged

On March 1, 2016, the Redskins used the non-exclusive franchise tag on Kirk Cousins, acting as a one-year, $20 million contract.

2016: Career-High Passing Yards

Despite missing the playoffs, Kirk Cousins led the team to a winning record of 8–7–1 in 2016 and finished the season with a career-high 4,917 passing yards.

February 28, 2017: Exclusive Franchise Tag

On February 28, 2017, Kirk Cousins and the Redskins agreed to the exclusive franchise tag, making him the first quarterback in NFL history to be franchise-tagged in consecutive years.

2017: Named to Pro Bowl

Due to his performance in the 2016 season, Kirk Cousins was named to his first Pro Bowl in 2017, replacing Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Cousins was also ranked 70th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.

2017: Season Performance

During a Week 3 victory over the Oakland Raiders on NBC Sunday Night Football, Cousins had a season-high 365 yards. The Redskins finished the 2017 season with a 7–9 record and missed the playoffs.

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2017: Third Consecutive Season of 4,000+ Passing Yards

The 2017 season marked Kirk Cousins' third consecutive season of passing for at least 4,000 yards. Cousins was ranked 94th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

March 15, 2018: Signed with the Vikings

On March 15, 2018, Kirk Cousins signed with the Minnesota Vikings on a fully guaranteed three-year contract worth $84 million, which was the first fully guaranteed and highest paying contract in NFL history at the time.

2018: Signed with Minnesota Vikings

In 2018, Kirk Cousins signed a fully guaranteed three-year US$84 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent.

2018: Vikings Season

The Vikings entered the 2018 season with high expectations. Cousins finished his first season with the Vikings with 4,298 passing yards and 30 touchdowns, but the team missed the playoffs.

March 18, 2020: Cousins signs contract extension with the Vikings

On March 18, 2020, Kirk Cousins signed a two-year, $66 million contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings.

March 13, 2022: Cousins signs contract extension

On March 13, 2022, Kirk Cousins signed a one-year, $35 million fully guaranteed contract extension through the 2023 season.

July 12, 2023: Quarterback (Season 1) Debuts on Netflix

Quarterback, a Netflix and NFL Films documentary series featuring Kirk Cousins during the 2022 NFL season, debuted on Netflix on July 12, 2023 (Season 1).

October 31, 2023: Cousins placed on injured reserve list

On October 31, 2023, Kirk Cousins was placed on the injured reserve list, following a season-ending injury.

March 13, 2024: Cousins signs with the Atlanta Falcons

On March 13, 2024, Kirk Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons.

April 25, 2024: Falcons draft Michael Penix Jr.

On April 25, 2024, the Atlanta Falcons drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with their first-round selection in the 2024 NFL draft without notifying Cousins.

July 12, 2025: Quarterback (Season 2) Debuts on Netflix

Quarterback, a Netflix and NFL Films documentary series featuring Kirk Cousins during the 2024 NFL season, debuted on Netflix on July 12, 2025 (Season 2).