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 Atlanta Falcons in the NFL. He played college football at Michigan State before being drafted by the Washington Redskins in 2012. Statistically, Cousins ranks among the NFL's all-time leaders in completion percentage and passer rating.

Sections (4)

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

1945: Completion Percentage

In 1945, Sammy Baugh completed 70.3% of his passes. Kirk Cousins' completion percentage of 69.8% in 2015 was second in team history.

1950: Perfect passer rating

Kirk Cousins on November 15 was the first Redskins quarterback since 1950 to have a perfect passer rating of 158.3 with at least 20 attempts.

1967: Passing Touchdowns

In 1967, Sonny Jurgensen had 31 passing touchdowns. Kirk Cousins had 29 passing touchdowns in 2015, second in Redskins history.

1970: 4 passing touchdowns in 3+ games

Kirk Cousins finished the 2015 season 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: Passing yards record

In 1986, Jay Schroeder had 4,109 passing yards. Kirk Cousins surpassed this amount in 2015.

May 31, 2012: Signed with Redskins

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

December 15, 2012: First NFL start

On December 15, 2012, Kirk Cousins started against the Cleveland Browns, marking his first NFL start. He led the Redskins to a 38-21 win, and was later voted Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week.

2012: Drafted by the Redskins

In 2012, Kirk Cousins was drafted by the Washington Redskins as the 102nd pick overall in the fourth round of the NFL draft.

December 11, 2013: Named Starting Quarterback

On December 11, 2013, Kirk Cousins was named starting quarterback for the rest of the year for the Washington Redskins.

February 2, 2014: Open to a trade

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

August 31, 2015: Named Starter

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

2015: Highest completion percentage

In 2015, Kirk Cousins posted the highest completion percentage (74.7) in home games in NFL history.

2015: Replaced injured Griffin

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

January 3, 2016: 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: Lost to Packers

On January 10, 2016, Kirk Cousins played against the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round where the Redskins lost 35–18, ending their season. He was later named the PFWA Most Improved Player.

March 1, 2016: Franchise Tag

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

2016: Career-high passing yards

In 2016, Kirk Cousins led the Redskins to a winning record of 8–7–1 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 Cousins the first quarterback in NFL history to be franchise-tagged in consecutive years.

2017: Clinched NFC North

In 2022, the Vikings clinched the NFC North for the first time since 2017.

2017: Finished the season

Kirk Cousins finished the 2017 season with 4,093 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, marking his third consecutive season of passing for at least 4,000 yards.