There’s a new quarterback in Flowery Branch, and his name is Kirk Cousins.
He officially signed the deal late this afternoon that would make him the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons for the next four years. After passing the required physical, Cousins gave the team his signature, and the newly named Falcon met the Atlanta sports press for the first time. He made it clear that he wanted to be more than another quarterback coming and going, year to year.
Signed, Posted, Delivered
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) March 13, 2024
– @KirkCousins8 pic.twitter.com/Y4sOkQuANH
“If I play at the level I expect to play, I can retire a Falcon,” he said. “That’s certainly the goal…you have to earn the right to do that.”
Cousins is no stranger to Atlanta. He told 929 The Game radio host Abe Gordon that his first date was with his now wife, Julie, at Stone Mountain. They wed in Roswell, and his second son is named Turner, after the legendary local media mogul Ted Turner.
He said in the interview, his first radio interview since becoming a Falcon, that the team he’s joining has a lot of talent, especially in offense. What it lacks is cohesiveness, which he hopes to build by reaching out to his new teammates. He said the roster “has a lot of pieces and it’s exciting to be a part of it. I can’t wait to get to work,” he said.
Atlanta Falcon: @KirkCousins8 pic.twitter.com/9rJizLi4Q9
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) March 13, 2024
Earlier, in a press conference at Falcons headquarters with several other Atlanta sports press members, he introduced himself as someone who wants to help transform a team with a repeatedly losing record to a winning team and is ready to get started. He called Atlanta “home away from home.”
“It’s a privilege to be a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons,” he said. “There is a responsibility that comes with that privilege…you got to deliver.”
Cousins spoke about the ankle injury which he is recovering from. “I’m feeling great, this is my first surgery in my life so the rehab process is certainly a first for me,” he said. He credited the Minnesota Vikings staff for helping him recover. He said he would work with the Falcons training staff to complete the recovery process. “I’m optimistic to be full speed at practice before we break for the summer. Don’t rush it, let time do its thing.”
He did not give a specific self-assessment of his abilities after the surgery.
Chain gang Cousins pic.twitter.com/KqyqK5IL8J
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) March 13, 2024
Cousins considered the Falcons’ executive brass before deciding to join the team. He recalled working with new Falcons coach Raheem Morris for two years when both were with the Washington Commanders. He told of talking with former New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees about Terry Fontenot (Falcons GM, who was with the Saints with Brees.) Brees gave Cousins a positive assessment of Fontenot. He also admired Falcons owner Arthur Blank. He also praised his future teammates.
Cousins got on the Falcons’ radar with some help it appears. He said that Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts reached out to him to join the Falcons, one of the first to do so.
“We’re ready for you to take us to the promised land,” Pitts texted Cousins. “It feels good to be chosen,” Cousins said about the text.
Cousin’s agent contacted him, saying the “I’s have been dotted, T’s have been crossed.” Cousins traveled to Atlanta thereafter. Since then, he has communicated with Drake London, Bijan Robinson, Caleb McGary, Jake Mathews, and Pitts.
He knew that the Falcons have struggled for years getting wins, but he said that change starts with getting to work and getting results.
“I look forward to the group we have resetting here in a couple of weeks getting together and getting to work and just building it one day at a time,” he said.
Cousins hoped to project a winning attitude that would go with a dedication to consistently winning games.
Kirk Frost❄️ pic.twitter.com/v6axUcknae
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) March 14, 2024
“You gotta win. Chains aren’t very funny when you’re losing,” he said, referring to the swag he was wearing in Falcons publicity shots released today. “You gotta win football games and if you win football games I expect you will see the fullness of my personality.”
Photo credits: All photos credit Atlanta Falcons/X Feature Image credit: Atlanta Falcons (CC)
