Kirk Cousins

Cousins married Julie Hampton on June 28, 2014, in Atlanta, Georgia. The couple has two sons, Cooper and Turner. A practicing Evangelical Christian, Cousins has supported faith-based and philanthropic initiatives, including Compassion International and the International Justice Mission. His charitable work also included selling merchandise based on his viral catchphrase to raise funds for justice and anti-poverty organizations.

Cousins comes from an athletic family and is the cousin of Major League Baseball pitcher Jake Cousins. In 2023, he received the Bart Starr Award in recognition of his character and leadership in the community. Cousins was also featured on and off the field with his family in the Netflix and NFL Films sports documentary series Quarterback.

Born in Barrington, Illinois, Cousins attended Holland Christian High School in Holland, Michigan, where he competed in football, baseball, and basketball. After breaking his ankle during his junior year, he attended summer football camps to gain collegiate exposure, eventually earning a scholarship offer from head coach Mark Dantonio at Michigan State University.

At Michigan State, Cousins redshirted in 2007 and served as Brian Hoyer's backup in 2008 before taking over the starting job in 2009. He served as a three-time team captain, becoming only the second player in program history to earn that distinction. In 2010, he guided the Spartans to an 11-2 record and a share of the Big Ten Championship. The following season, he led Michigan State to the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game and capped his collegiate career with a victory over Georgia in the Outback Bowl, finishing with an undefeated 4-0 career record against rival Michigan and winning the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.

The Washington Redskins selected Cousins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft, 102nd overall, in the same draft class where they had selected Robert Griffin III second overall. Cousins served primarily as a backup during his first three seasons, stepping in periodically when Griffin faced injuries. In 2015, head coach Jay Gruden named Cousins the full-time starting quarterback.

During the 2015 season, Cousins led Washington to the NFC East division title and their first postseason appearance in four years. He finished the season leading the NFL with a 69.8 percent completion rate and set a franchise record with 4,166 passing yards. Following a 24-0 comeback victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that season, Cousins famously yelled 'You like that?!' to cameras, creating a viral catchphrase that he later trademarked for charity. He played the 2016 and 2017 seasons under consecutive franchise tags, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to receive the tag in back-to-back years, and set Washington single-season franchise records with 4,917 passing yards and 406 completions in 2016.

In March 2018, Cousins signed a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million free-agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings, marking the first fully guaranteed multi-year contract in NFL history. In his debut season in Minnesota, he completed a franchise-record 425 passes while throwing for 4,298 yards and 30 touchdowns. The following year, he guided Minnesota to an overtime road victory over the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Wild Card round.

Cousins enjoyed one of his finest seasons in 2022, leading the Vikings to a 13-4 regular-season record and the NFC North division crown. He tied an NFL single-season record with eight game-winning drives and eight fourth-quarter comebacks. In Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts, Cousins threw for 460 yards and four touchdowns to help Minnesota erase a 33-0 deficit, completing the largest comeback in NFL history. His 2023 campaign was cut short in Week 8 when he suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon against the Green Bay Packers.

In March 2024, Cousins signed a four-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons. In Week 5 of the 2024 season, he set the Falcons franchise single-game passing record by throwing for 509 yards and four touchdowns in an overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In doing so, he became the only quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 450 yards in a game with three separate franchises.

After appearing in 24 games over two seasons with Atlanta, Cousins was released in March 2026. In April 2026, he signed a multi-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, reuniting with head coach Klint Kubiak and taking over the veteran leadership role in the Raiders' quarterback room.