After spending about half of last season sidelined with a torn Achilles injury and then going to Atlanta in the offseason, Kirk Cousins’ return to Minnesota has raised some questions. Should he start or sit in favor of rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. after he threw four interceptions against the Los Angeles Chargers last week?
Cousins is returning to US Bank Stadium after signing with the Atlanta Falcons over the offseason. Kirk will get his first chance to be in the visiting locker room against his former team. Some Falcons fans would rather see Penix play, but both teams should want to see Cousins start against his former team.
To understand what this game means to both sides, just look at the current standings in the NFC playoff picture. The Vikings are one game behind the Detroit Lions for the NFC’s best record. The 6-6 Falcons are tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for first in the NFC South.
Sunday won’t be the first time he has faced the Vikings, but it will be the first time he has faced them as the road team. Cousins is 1–1 against the Vikes. He went 48 for 78 (61.5%) for 589 yards, three touchdowns and one pick in those games, both of which were in Washington.
When fans look back on the Cousins experience, it’s hard not to lament the dollar figure this team paid for him. In 2018, he signed a three-year, $84 million contract with the Vikings. At the time, it was the most fully guaranteed money in NFL history, and he was the NFL’s highest-paid player per year. In 2020, he signed a two-year, $66 million extension before inking one final extension worth $35 million, all guaranteed, in 2022.
For better or worse, Cousins gave the Vikings many memorable moments during his six-season stint with the team. Whether it was becoming Kirko Chainz on a plane back after a win in London, the history-making comeback— or that lucrative contract. However, he only had one playoff win and consistently threw in front of the first-down chains on critical downs. That includes the 2022 playoff loss against the New York Giants. That helped new Vikings quarterback Daniel Jones in his contract negotiations during that offseason, landing him a four-year, $160 million deal.
As a result, Vikings fans have differing opinions on him.
In 2023, Cousins tore his Achilles against the Green Bay Packers, sidelining him for the rest of the season. This injury thus ended his Minnesota career with a total stat line of 2,164 for 3,180 (68.1%), 23,952 yards, 175 touchdowns, and 56 interceptions over those six years.
Cousins tested free agency and signed a deal worth $180 million over four years, with $100 million guaranteed and a no-trade clause. Due to the timing and details of the conversations between both sides, the league penalized Atlanta for tampering. It cost the Falcons a 2025 fifth-round pick and $250,000, and their GM $50,000.
During the draft, the Falcons surprisingly picked Penix Jr. eighth overall.
Some thought they might take the approach the Packers did with Jordan Love: Let the youngster sit for a few years and bring him in when it’s time to move on from the older player. Others doubted whether Cousins had healed from his injury.
After a solid 6-3 start to the season, questions have emerged about Atlanta’s 0-3 stretch. A team that was the preseason favorite to win the NFC South is playing its way out of a playoff spot.
Atlanta is still in the hunt to win the NFC South, and their next game is against a below-average Las Vegas Raiders team on Monday night. Therefore, it might be best to wait on Penix’s debut for at least one more week. That would come with the added benefit of letting Vikings fans see Cousins start in Minnesota for what might be the final time.
