When it came to deciding on where to play in 2024, Kirk Cousins trusted his gut.
The money -- $45 million per year through 2027 -- likely didn't hurt, either, but Cousins' move south was about feel, and he sure felt good when considering where he might end his career: Atlanta.
"I think in Minnesota, it was trending over the last couple offseasons to being somewhat year-to-year," Cousins explained of his decision-making process that led him to the Falcons rather than re-signing with the Vikings. "As we talked with Atlanta, it felt like this was a place where, if I play at the level I expect to play, that I can retire a Falcon. That was something that really excited me and that's certainly the goal. You've got to earn the right to do that, but that was exciting to feel like I could get that opportunity here."
Cousins surprised some with his choice to leave Minneapolis -- where he'd played the last six years of his NFL career and made a home for his family -- for the potentially greener pastures of Atlanta. Financially, he's already done incredibly well for himself, leveraging his value at nearly every opportunity in his career, which began as an afterthought of a fourth-round pick made by Washington in the same class that saw the franchise select Robert Griffin III with the second-overall pick. He wasn't out to take the largest bid, and because he's still playing quality football -- good enough to land him in the top 10 of the final QB Index -- he was able to have his cake and eat it, too, signing a lucrative deal in a place he wanted to reside.
Familiarity helps. Cousins has history with new Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who oversaw the defensive backs in Washington in Cousins' early years, and that made such a move
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