NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 05: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings reacts against the New Orleans Saints during a game at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 05, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Kirk Cousins gets a lot of backlash, but this stat from Football Perspective shows he’s a solid quarterback.
Kirk Cousins has had a unique NFL journey. After being a fourth-round pick by the Washington Redskins the same year they took Robert Griffin III No. 2 overall, Cousins eventually unseated RGIII and became the starter in D.C.
From there, it was a battle between him and the organization when it came to getting a long-term deal done and eventually, he was in a position where he could choose where he wanted to sign next.
Cousins was the top quarterback on the free-agent market in 2018 and chose to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, who gave him all $84 million of his contract in guaranteed money (the first time that had ever happened). Cousins followed that up by not getting Minnesota to the playoffs in year one and continuing to falter against top-tier opponents.
In 2019, however, the Vikings made it into the postseason and knocked off the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round. That was Cousins’ first win in the playoffs, but he still gets a lot of flack for being a middling talent.
Kirk Cousins is better than you think, and here’s why
However, Football Perspective released an incredible stat on Cousins which should hopefully push people to respect him a little more.
For those wondering what ANY/A means, per Pro Football Reference it means “adjusted net yards per passing attempt: “(pass yards + 20*(pass TD) – 45*(interceptions thrown) – sack yards)/(passing attempts + sacks).”
This means that when Cousins airs the football out, he makes it count.
Kirk Cousins has been above-average since taking over full-time as a starter and one of the biggest things with him has been durability. In 2019, he sat out the season finale because the Vikings were already in the playoffs, but otherwise has started all 16 games dating back to 2015.
It’s easy to discount a lot of Cousins’ career because he hasn’t had signature wins, but the Vikings obviously feel confident in him, as they gave him a two-year extension after his efforts last year.
People might not have Cousins as a top-tier quarterback and that’s fine, but this stat shows he’s not as mediocre as some people think.