Kirk Cousins Posts Heartfelt Goodbye Message to Minnesota
Kirk Cousins agreed to sign with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, ending his time as the Vikings' starting quarterback after six years. From when he first signed back in 2018 until now, his tenure in Minnesota was quite the ride. Cousins went 51-39-1 as the Vikings' starter, making the playoffs twice and being named to three Pro Bowls. His 171 touchdown passes are the second-most in franchise history, behind only Fran Tarkenton.
Over the past couple years, Cousins really started to show off more of his personality off of the field, endearing himself to Vikings fans and the NFL world. During the 2022 season where the Vikings went 13-4, the "Kirko Chainz" alter ego was all kinds of fun. This past year, there was the Netflix documentary that showed the country more about who he is as a person. Cousins is a dorky suburban dad who shops at Kohl's and listens to Creed, and he's also someone who cares deeply about football and his family and his teammates and the people around him. Where once he was a highly polarizing figure in Minnesota, he seemed to become pretty universally beloved in recent years. It didn't hurt that he was playing the best football of his career in 2023 before tearing his Achilles.
On Wednesday, a few hours before the deal will become official, Cousins posted a heartfelt goodbye message to Minnesota on his social media pages.
"So, today's a bit of a bittersweet day for me," Cousins said. "I'm in Atlanta now, and a little bit later today, I'm gonna be signing a contract with the Falcons to officialize the agreement we've made. But that also means that I've gotta say goodbye to Minnesota and to the Minnesota Vikings. And that's what makes today tough. So just wanted to put out a little video to say thank you.
"First of all, thank you to the tremendous teammates, coaches, support staff, management, and ownership of the Minnesota Vikings for the way that they have come alongside me and supported me. A quarterback really doesn't have a chance without great people around him, and for six seasons in Minnesota, I had great people around me. And I don't take that for granted. It was a privilege to quarterback the Minnesota Vikings, and a privilege that brought much responsibility, so I wanted to be accountable to all those people who work for the Vikings and put in the work that was needed to deliver for them. So I'm very grateful for who they are, for what they represented, and the difference they made for me and my family.
"And then I'd also just like to say thank you to the people of Minnesota, the people of the Twin Cities, and the people who we did life with on a daily basis around our great state of Minnesota. Just want to say thank you. You meant so much to my family. And as a result of your impact, Minnesota will always hold a special place in the hearts of me and of my family. So thank you and God bless."
Cousins and the Falcons will play at U.S. Bank Stadium this season, provided that game isn't selected to take place in London. That should be a pretty cool moment with an overwhelmingly positive reception for Atlanta's new quarterback.
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