FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Kirk Cousins spent more than four minutes during his news conference Wednesday giving a near dissertation about the intricacies of playing quarterback in the NFL, from receiver progressions to how reading a defense before the snap has changed in recent years.
It was a reminder that Cousins has been a fixture at the position for a long time at the highest level -- 14 seasons, to be exact -- and can break down strategy and theory as well as anyone.
The past four games on the field have also been a reminder that Cousins still has something left in the tank.
Cousins led the Atlanta Falcons to a come-from-behind, 29-28 win over rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road in Week 15. The veteran was 30-of-44 for 373 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Falcons (5-9) have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and are en route to an eighth straight losing season. There is not much to play for.
But Cousins still has plenty of reasons to put good things on tape since he took over for Michael Penix Jr. (torn left ACL) full-time in Week 12. Atlanta is unlikely to bring him back, but he would still like to be a starting quarterback in the NFL next season.
This might not be a Cousins redemption tour, but it's not far off considering many wrote him off after 2024. The Falcons travel to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
"Quite frankly, I never thought he wasn't a valuable starting quarterback," Falcons coach Raheem Morris said.
When we last saw Cousins as starter, it was not pretty. He threw nine interceptions and just one touchdown pass over a five-game stretch last season, and he was benched in favor of Penix in Week 16. The Falcons went from 6-3 to being on the outside of playoff contention over a four-game losing streak during Cousins' struggles.
The Falcons named Penix, a rookie, their starter moving forward. And, at the time, it was difficult to argue with them. Cousins finished tied for the league lead in interceptions (16) despite not playing the final three games.
"I think the reflection probably happened on the flight back from the Raiders game [in Week 15] and then for a lot of months after thinking, 'How did I get there? How do I get out of that?'" Cousins said. "And just trying to work your way back."
Cousins was coming off a torn Achilles in 2023 and turned 37 years old this year. There were reasons to believe that the four-time Pro Bowler's time as an effective starter had come to an end. Cousins said last February that he took a hit in Week 10, injured his right throwing arm and was not the same after that.
The Falcons decided in the offseason to keep Cousins as Penix's backup, despite a $40 million cap hit. No trades came to be, and Cousins has a no-trade clause anyway, so any potential destination had to have been approved. A release, which Cousins requested because he wanted to start, would have resulted in the Falcons taking on $75 million in dead cap.
Cousins performed well with the second-team offense in training camp, but there was never a quarterback competition in Atlanta. It was Penix's job. When Penix, the No. 8 overall pick in 2024, couldn't play in Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins with a bone bruise, the Falcons' decision seemed validated. Cousins struggled, going 21-of-31 passing for 173 yards without a touchdown at home. The Dolphins won, 34-10.
But things have been markedly different since Cousins took over as starter in Week 12. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson shaped the offense more toward Cousins' strengths. Per Next Gen Stats, Cousins has been under center 18.8% of the time in his snaps this season, compared to Penix being under center just 0.3%. Penix was in the pistol formation 29.9.% of the time, a league high by 16%. Cousins is in the pistol 11.5% of the time, which is third in the league but still far off Penix's number.
Since Week 12, Cousins is sixth in the league in passing yards (968) and his six touchdown passes are tied for fifth. His EPA per dropback (-0.-6) is 15th in the NFL, just behind Patrick Mahomes and Caleb Williams and just ahead of Joe Burrow. Cousins has done that without Falcons star Drake London (PCL strain), the team's only wide receiver with more than 365 yards this season. London could be back Sunday.
"I feel like when I'm in it, it's very much not really looking back at 'Oh, I feel good about what's happened,' you also kind of look back if you do and it's more being critical for the purpose of trying to be better the next week," Cousins said. "But do I feel comfortable out there? Yes. Do I feel like I'm enjoying playing with the guys I'm playing with? Yes. Has it been fun to move the football and find Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson and David Sills? Yes. That's been a lot of fun, but the challenge is to keep that going."
Cousins' numbers might not be spectacular, and the Falcons are still just 2-2 since he took over. But they also aren't the stats of a washed-up quarterback. Cousins led Atlanta to three scores in the fourth quarter against the Bucs, who were ahead 28-14 with 9:36 to play.
It's unclear where Cousins might play next year. Morris said he will remain an option for the Falcons with Penix's injury potentially keeping him out into training camp and perhaps beyond. That seems unlikely, considering Cousins' cap hit would be $57.5 million and the Falcons would save $35 million in 2026 if they released him with a post-June 1 designation.
Cousins still wants to be a full-time starter in the league, and how he performs over the final three games will certainly help determine the chances he might be afforded by teams next year. Still, Cousins falls short of saying he feels like he has something to prove because of his career body of work.
"I think anytime you get the chance to play, it's an opportunity, and I think you feel like you need to play at a level that justifies it being out there," Cousins said. "So, I think there's a responsibility that comes with that opportunity that I've always felt.
"I would hesitate to say I need to prove something in a way it would sort of negate sort of the skins I've got on the wall, if you will. I know the skins I've got on the wall and so it's more about just this is a privilege to be out here, this is an opportunity, and I have a responsibility with that opportunity to do the best I can with my effort and really in the coaches and the teammates with the respect I have for them."
Cousins said Wednesday that he's viewing this as a season where his contract expires at the end. That technically is not the case. But it is a position where Cousins has found himself several times in the past. And he has cashed in to the tune of $321,692,254 in career earnings, per Spotrac.
"I've played a lot of years on expiring contracts, probably more than most quarterbacks in the league who have played a lot," Cousins said. "So, I've kind of lived it, and you understand that you just focus on here and now being the present, and you don't know what's going to happen. And the February and the March questions are good questions in February and March, but it's Dec. 17 and so you can't really go there yet."
When Cousins was in high school, he had very few offers from major schools. He said he'll answer questions about next year the same way he did before his senior year at Holland Christian (Michigan) when asked by the local Holland Sentinel.
"It's really the same answer then as it is now," Cousins said. "You go out with your buddies, you play the best you absolutely can, you enjoy it. You focus on the present and you let the dust settle and let the chips fall where they may. And you believe that if you win football games, good things will happen to everybody involved."