QB Kirk Cousins leaving Vikings for 4-year deal with Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons have finally resolved their franchise quarterback woes.

The club agreed to terms on a four-year contract with former Minnesota Vikings free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​on Monday, according to his agent, Mike McCartney. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately announced.

Cousins ​​joins an offense that has plenty of first-round picks. The Falcons have three first-round offensive linemen: left tackle Jake Matthews, right tackle Kaleb McGary and two-time Pro Bowl player Chris Lindstrom at right guard. He also has Atlanta's last three first-round picks — tight end Kyle Pitts, wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson — as skill position players to throw to.

Atlanta Cousins' signing ends the team's multi-year quest to find a replacement for former NFL MVP Matt Ryan, who the team traded to the Indianapolis Colts before the 2022 season after an unsuccessful pursuit of Deshaun Watson.

The Falcons then signed Marcus Mariota as their starting quarterback and drafted Desmond Ridder in the third round of the 2022 draft. Mariota played in 13 games as a starter before being benched for Ridder, who started the final four games of the 2022 season and entered 2023 as the team's top quarterback.

Ridder found himself on the bench twice in 2023 in favor of backup Taylor Heinicke, but neither played well, ultimately leading to the firing of former coach Arthur Smith and the hiring of Raheem Morris. At the press conference addressing Smith's firing, team owner Arthur Blank called the quarterback's play last season “deficient” and vowed to fix the team's problems to this position.

Ridder completed 64.2 percent of his passes last season for 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and 12 fumbles. Heinicke completed 54.4 percent of his passes for 890 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.

Both Ridder and Heinicke are under contract through the 2024 season, but the Falcons can save $6.96 million against the cap if he is released and would also avoid paying him a $1.32 million bonus if he is released. he is no longer in Atlanta on March 17.

Cousins, 35, was having one of his best seasons in 2023 and had been one of the NFL's most durable quarterbacks before tearing his right Achilles tendon in Week 8 at Lambeau Field. At the time, he was tied for first in the NFL in passing touchdowns (18) and second in passing yards (2,331).

Prior to his injury, he had started 136 of a possible 138 games since becoming QB1 with the Washington Commanders in 2015. One of those two missed starts occurred while the Vikings were resting their starters for the playoffs in 2019, and the other came after a draw. positive COVID-19 test in 2021.

Cousins ​​spent three seasons as Washington's full-time starter, but never found common ground on a long-term extension. He played his final two seasons with the team under the franchise tag, preparing to hit the free agent market in 2018 at the age of 30 – a rare entry from a top-tier quarterback available for every NFL team at the height of his career. .

The Vikings, a year removed from backup Case Keenum taking them to the 2017 NFC Championship Game, pounced quickly, hoping they could take the team to the Super Bowl. They accommodated his request for a three-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $84 million and have since signed him to extensions in 2020 and 2022 to provide short-term salary cap relief.

The Vikings did not significantly improve their quest for the Super Bowl during that time, however. They were 50-37-1 in the regular season with an NFC North title and were 1-2 in two playoff games.

As a result, during negotiations in the spring of 2023, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah decided not to extend the guaranteed portion of Cousins' contract beyond the 2024 season. Instead, the parties agreed to 'an adjustment that allowed the Vikings to reduce his salary cap and guaranteed Cousins ​​a path to free agency in 2024 without the Vikings using the franchise tag.

The four-time Pro Bowl selection ranks fifth among active quarterbacks – and 24th all time – with 39,471 passing yards in 12 NFL seasons. Cousins' 270 touchdowns rank him 20th all-time and he has 110 interceptions. He also had 958 rushing yards and 19 other scores.

ESPN's Kevin Seifert contributed to this report.