Kirk Cousins’ tenure as the starting quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons is just now taking flight. Matt Ryan’s professional career, which featured 14 years under center in Atlanta, just made its final descent.
But the Falcons may spend the next several years watching a brand of football that hasn’t been seen since Ryan was traded in the spring of 2022.
“I think there’s a lot of similarities,” Falcons right guard Chris Lindstrom said at Tuesday’s press conference. “I think both those guys have a lot of experience, are great leaders and both extremely successful.”
Ryan is the Falcons’ all-time leader in passing yards (59,735) and touchdowns (367), two categories in which he ranks top 10 in NFL history. He’s also played more games in franchise history than anyone else who’s donned the red and black.
In the two years that followed Ryan’s departure, the Falcons started three faces at quarterback – Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke. None proved to be formidable short- or long-term options.
So, Atlanta aggressively pursued the 35-year-old Cousins, a 12-year veteran with 150 games of experience – and proven results – under his belt.
The Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract March 13. He’s spent the last month and a half perusing the grounds of the team’s headquarters in Flowery Branch, bouncing in and out of meetings and training rooms as he recovers from a torn Achilles suffered Oct. 29.
During his introduction the night he was signed, Cousins stressed the importance of building bonds with teammates as soon as possible. Evidently, he’s off to a strong start.
“When you get here and watch how the guy works, it’s remarkable,” Lindstrom said. “The way he interacts with us has been great. You can’t ask for anything more. You just see the way he approaches every single day, the intensity in every single rep and the purpose behind it.”
Stylistically, Ryan and Cousins are both pocket passers known for their precision and intelligence. They’ll never be confused for dual threats, but they don’t need to be.
Both players have four Pro Bowl nods to their name. Ryan earned the nickname “Matty Ice” for his late-game performances, guiding 46 game-winning drives. He averaged one such drive per every five career starts. Cousins’ average is the same.
There’s an element of veteran savvy present in each – a calm, trustworthy voice and the right arm to match it. Lindstrom worked alongside Ryan for three years, seeing these traits each day.
Safety Jessie Bates III, who signed with the Falcons last spring, never played with Ryan. He does, however, know the value Cousins’ experience provides to the team, let alone the offense.
“His presence alone, just being there is next level,” Bates said. “The coaches can’t be out on the field too much, but when you have a guy like Kirk Cousins, he can go out there and run a whole script. That presence is something that’s priceless.”
Cousins has been a topic of hot discussion in and around Flowery Branch of late, as the Falcons drafted his potential successor – first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. – before he played his first snap in Atlanta.
But the Falcons remain firmly behind Cousins and the things he can accomplish in the years ahead, watching as he’s lived up to the billing they expected when dishing out a sizable contract this spring.
“The exciting thing about him is we know his makeup and his mentality, and we know it fits what we’re about and this culture that we’ve been working hard to build,” general manager Terry Fontenot said. “So, you definitely feel the impact.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25782636/247422_ChatGPT_anniversary_CVirginia.jpg "Inside the launch — and future — of ChatGPT")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25789444/1258459915.jpg "OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25546252/STK169_Mark_Zuckerburg_CVIRGINIA_D.jpg "Meta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23951353/STK043_VRG_Illo_N_Barclay_3_Meta.jpg "Meta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age")