Kirk Cousins makes feelings clear on 'revenge games' against Vikings and Commanders
Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons have been on a roll this season after a stumble in Week 1. In the Kirk Cousins era, the Falcons have picked up six wins and five losses but are still atop the NFC South despite consecutive losses to the New Orleans Saints and the Denver Broncos.
After a Week 12 bye where Cousins and the Falcons had enough time to rest up and get healthy, their schedule gets a bit easier, as they go up against the Chargers, Vikings, Raiders, Giants, Commanders and the Panthers.
Two of those games will see Cousins face his former teams, but the Falcons quarterback isn't quite seeing those matchups as a way to extract revenge against his former franchises. On the Pardon My Take podcast this week, Cousins highlighted those matchups:
“Revenge probably wouldn’t be the word as much as walking into their trap to play well and do my thing. But it’s hard for me not to root for everybody there.”
The Falcons may be top of the NFC South for now, but with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers getting healthy, they will have to be on the top of their game as we approach the tail end of the season.
Kirk Cousins outlines gratitude towards Washington Commanders, Minnesota Vikings
On the aforementionedpodcast, Cousins outlined why he's grateful to each franchise and their respective coaching teams.
“When I went into Washington, there’s so much gratitude for what they did for me. They drafted me, they franchise-tagged me twice. They changed my whole life," Cousins said.
At Washington, Kirk Cousins became the first NFL player to be franchise-tagged twice after Dan Snyder's ownership signed him to a second one-year contract in 2017 that saw them pay him $23.9 million.
The next year, Cousins signed with the Minnesota Vikings on a fully guaranteed three-year contract worth $84 million.
"Minnesota, much the same way, even more so. They brought me in during free agency. Gave me a great contract. Gave me great coaches, players. Even when I left, the way Kwesi (Adofo-Mensah) handled it, Kevin (O'Connell) handled it, ownership. They just handled it so well,” Cousins said.
He spent six years in Minnesota before bolting for Atlanta this year on a four-year, $180 million deal that includes $100 million in guarantees.