History of Kirk Cousins in Timeline

Kirk Cousins is a professional American football quarterback currently playing for the Atlanta Falcons. 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 attempts, and he also boasts an impressive regular season career passer rating, ranking 11th in NFL history.

Sections (4)

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

1945: Sammy Baugh completion record

Sammy Baugh 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, as well as posting a perfect passer rating of 158.3, making him the first Redskins quarterback since 1950 to do that with at least 20 attempts.

1960: Tied NFL Record for Game-Winning Drives

In 2022, Kirk Cousins tied the NFL record since 1960 for game-winning drives.

1967: 31 passing touchdowns record

Sonny Jurgensen had 31 passing touchdowns in 1967.

1970: Four Touchdown Passes

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.

1979: Tommy Kramer's team record

In Week 5 against the Bears in 2022, Cousins broke Tommy Kramer's team record of 16 consecutive completions, which Kramer set during the 1979 season.

1986: Single-season passing yardage record

Jay Schroeder had 4,109 passing yards in 1986.

August 19, 1988: Kirk Cousins' Birth

On August 19, 1988, Kirk Daniel Cousins was born. He is now a professional football quarterback in the NFL.

Others born on this day/year

1994: Redskins drafted Heath Shuler and Gus Frerotte

In 1994, the Washington Redskins drafted Heath Shuler and Gus Frerotte.

2007: Accepted Scholarship to Michigan State

In 2007, after Mark Dantonio became the head coach at Michigan State and failed to sign his top quarterback targets, he offered Kirk Cousins a scholarship, which Cousins accepted.

2007: Jason Campbell franchise record

Jason Campbell also tied a franchise record for completions in a game with 33 in 2007.

2007: Redshirted for the season

Kirk Cousins redshirted for the 2007 season at Michigan State.

2008: Backup Quarterback at Michigan State

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

2009: Won Starting Quarterback Job

In 2009, Kirk Cousins won the starting quarterback job at Michigan State, leading 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: Played in First Big Ten Football Championship Game

In 2011, Kirk Cousins led the Spartans to an 11-3 record and played in the first-ever Big Ten Football Championship Game, also leading the Big Ten Conference in multiple passing categories.

2011: Redskins drafted Robert Griffin III

In 2011, The Washington Redskins drafted Robert Griffin III.

January 2, 2012: Defeated Georgia Bulldogs in Outback Bowl

On January 2, 2012, Kirk Cousins played his final game as a Michigan State Spartan, defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in the Outback Bowl.

May 31, 2012: Signed four-year contract with the Redskins

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 for the Washington Redskins against the Cleveland Browns, leading the team to a 38-21 victory, and was later voted Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week.

2012: Game-Winning Drive Against the Eagles

In 2012, Kirk Cousins had his first game-winning drive.

2012: Drafted by Washington Redskins

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

2012: Won NFC East division title

The Redskins' victory over the Eagles led to the team winning the NFC East division title for the first time since 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 Washington Redskins for the rest of the year after Robert Griffin III was deactivated.

February 2, 2014: Open to a Trade

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

June 28, 2014: Marriage to Julie Hampton

On June 28, 2014, Kirk Cousins married Julie Hampton in Atlanta, Georgia.

August 31, 2015: Named Season Starter

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

2015: Replacing Griffin and leading the team to a division title.

In 2015, Kirk Cousins replaced an injured Robert Griffin III as the starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins and led the team 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.

January 3, 2016: Set 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 against the Green Bay Packers

On January 10, 2016, Kirk Cousins played against the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round, completing 29-of-46 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns. The Redskins lost 35–18, ending their season. He was also 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, acting as a one-year, $20 million contract.

2016: Career-High Passing Yards

In 2016, Kirk Cousins led the team to a winning record and finished the season with a career-high 4,917 passing yards, which was third in the NFL.

2016: Tied NFL Record for Game-Winning Drives

In 2022, Kirk Cousins tied the NFL record for a single season with Matthew Stafford's 2016 season for game-winning drives.

February 28, 2017: Exclusive Franchise Tag

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

2017: NFC Offensive Player of the Week

During a Week 3 27–10 victory over the Oakland Raiders on NBC Sunday Night Football in 2017, Kirk Cousins earned his fourth NFC Offensive Player of the Week award of his career.

2017: First Pro Bowl Selection

In 2017, Kirk Cousins was named to his first Pro Bowl, replacing Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.

2017: Named to the 2017 Pro Bowl

In 2017, Kirk Cousins was named to the Pro Bowl while playing for the Washington Redskins.

2017: Vikings clinch NFC North

In a week 15 game against the Colts in 2022, the Vikings clinched the NFC North for the first time since 2017.

2017: Third Consecutive Season of Passing for at Least 4,000 Yards

The 2017 season marked Kirk Cousins' third consecutive season of passing for at least 4,000 yards.

March 15, 2018: Signed with the Vikings

On March 15, 2018, Kirk Cousins signed a fully guaranteed three-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings worth $84 million.

2018: First Season with the Vikings

In 2018, Kirk Cousins finished his first season with the Vikings with 4,298 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.

2018: Signed with the Minnesota Vikings

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

2018: Ranked 94th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018

Kirk Cousins was ranked 94th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

2019: Family

As of 2019, Kirk Cousins and his wife have two sons, Cooper and Turner.

2019: Ranked 78th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019

Kirk Cousins was ranked 78th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.

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 through 2023 season

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

2022: Cousins finishes the 2022 season

For the 2022 season, Kirk Cousins finished with 4,547 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions to go along with two rushing touchdowns.

2022: Named NFC Offensive Player of the Week

In 2022, after a week 15 game against the Colts, Cousins was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

2022: Filmed for "Quarterback" documentary series

Kirk Cousins was recorded on-and-off the field during the 2022 NFL season for the Netflix and NFL Films documentary series, Quarterback.

January 15, 2023: Wild Card Round against the Giants

On January 15, 2023, Kirk Cousins completed 31-of-39 passes for 273 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, alongside a rushing touchdown during the Wild Card Round against the Giants. Despite his efforts, the Vikings lost 31-24.

July 12, 2023: "Quarterback" Debuts on Netflix

The Netflix and NFL Films documentary series, Quarterback, which featured Kirk Cousins, debuted on Netflix on July 12, 2023.

October 29, 2023: Suffers season-ending injury

During the October 29, 2023, game against the Packers, Kirk Cousins threw two touchdowns before suffering a season-ending torn Achilles injury during the fourth quarter.

October 31, 2023: Placed on injured reserve list

On October 31, 2023, Kirk Cousins was placed on the injured reserve list.

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 Falcons drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with their first-round selection in the 2024 NFL draft, without notifying Kirk Cousins beforehand.