Kirk Cousins

Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL).

Born in Barrington, Illinois on August 19, 1988, Cousins attended Holland Christian High School in Holland, Michigan, where he starred in football, baseball (as a third baseman and a pitcher), and basketball for the Maroons athletic teams.

He broke his ankle in his junior year and was forced to attend camps in order to make an impression with recruiting colleges.

Cousins finished his high school football career with 3,204 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions.

The Redskins drafting Griffin and Cousins in the same draft echoed the team's strategy in the 1994 NFL draft, when the team drafted Heath Shuler with the third overall pick and later drafted Gus Frerotte in the seventh round.

After high school, Cousins was set to sign with Toledo or Western Michigan, until Mark Dantonio became the head coach at Michigan State in 2007.

After Dantonio failed to sign his top targets at quarterback, he offered a scholarship to Cousins, which he accepted.

He also participated in the Athletes in Action sports ministry.

Cousins redshirted for the 2007 season.

In 2008, he spent the season as the backup quarterback to Brian Hoyer.

He played in five games passing for a total of 310 yards and two touchdowns and one interception.

In 2009, he competed for and won the starting quarterback job against teammate Keith Nichol.

He led Michigan State to a 6–7 (4–4) season with 19 touchdowns, nine interceptions and 2,680 passing yards in 12 games.

In 2010, he led Michigan State to an 11–2 (7–1) record and a share of the Big Ten Conference Championship.

In 2011, the Spartans went 11–3 (7–2) and played in the first-ever Big Ten Football Championship Game.

He led the Big Ten Conference in pass completions, pass attempts, and passing yards in 2011.

Cousins won the 2011 Lowes's Senior CLASS Award.

Cousins majored in kinesiology.

The pick surprised many analysts, as the Redskins had drafted 2011 Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III with the second overall pick to be their franchise quarterback.

The Redskins acquired the Griffin III pick by giving the St. Louis Rams four high-value draft picks over three years.

Cousins was viewed as an insurance policy in case Griffin was injured, with Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan saying "You're one or two plays away from being the starter...And if I see that value out there on the third day of the draft, I'm going to take that."

He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft as a backup to fellow rookie Robert Griffin III.

Cousins was named second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches, and played his final game as a Michigan State Spartan on January 2, 2012, defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in the Outback Bowl.

His teams posted an undefeated 4–0 record against the in-state rival Michigan Wolverines.

Cousins was selected by the Washington Redskins as the seventh choice in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft, making him the 102nd draft pick overall.

On May 31, 2012, Cousins signed a four-year contract with the Redskins.

In the second game of the preseason against the Chicago Bears, Cousins threw three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, though the Redskins would go on to lose 33–31.

In the fourth and final game of preseason, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cousins completed 15 of 27 passes for 222 yards as the Redskins won 30–3.

He was named the backup quarterback over incumbent starter Rex Grossman.

Cousins made his NFL debut in the third quarter of a Week 5 loss to the Atlanta Falcons after Griffin suffered a concussion.

Cousins threw his first NFL touchdown pass on a 77-yard pass to Santana Moss but threw two interceptions in the last two series of the game while trying to tie the game.

Cousins' second NFL appearance came in Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens.

On the final drive of the game, with the Redskins down 8, Griffin suffered a knee injury.

Cousins went 2–2 and finished the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garçon with 29 seconds remaining, to bring the Redskins within 2 points of the Ravens.

On the two-point conversion, Shanahan called for a run-pass option, and Cousins scored on a quarterback draw to tie the game at 28.

Cousins occasionally appeared in games during his first three seasons before replacing Griffin following an injury in 2015, where he remained the team's starter until 2017.

With the Redskins, Cousins set numerous franchise records and was named to the 2017 Pro Bowl.

After two years of signing franchise tags and being unable to agree with the team on a long-term deal, Cousins signed a fully guaranteed three-year US$84 million contract with the Vikings as a free agent in 2018.

He ranks fifth all-time in completion percentage with at least 1,500 pass attempts, and is eighth in the NFL's all-time regular season career passer rating.

Kirk Cousins was born to Don Cousins and Maryann Cousins, the second oldest of their three children.