Former Washington QB Makes NFL History in Week 3

Former Washington Commanders quarterback Kirk Cousins has made NFL history after a strong outing in Week 3 for the Atlanta Falcons.

Sep 22, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) passes the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Kirk Cousins is in the third act of his NFL career. Having begun his career with the Washington Redskins -- though he served primarily as the backup quarterback through three seasons -- Cousins spent three years in the DMV.

For the previous six seasons, Cousins was the signal-caller as a veteran quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. After the franchise needed a change of pace under center, Cousins signed a huge deal with the Atlanta Falcons to mark the third team he's suited up for in his career.

In Week 3 of the 2024 season, the first Cousins has spent with the Falcons, the 36-year-old surpassed 40,000 passing yards. Doing so at his age, Cousins made history as the fourth-fastest player to surpass that mark.

It took 153 games for Cousins to reach that milestone, trailing Drew Brees (152 games), Matt Ryan (151 games) and Matthew Stafford (147 games).

Through his first three seasons with the then-Redskins, Cousins played just 14 games, receiving nine starts. Overall, he appeared in 62 games and received 57 starts for Washington, tallying 16,206 yards with 1,372 completions on 2,096 passing attempts. In those six seasons, he also cashed in on 99 touchdowns.

Cousins posted a record of 26-30-1 with Washington over his six seasons played. In 2018, the quarterback entered free agency before ultimately heading to Minnesota, where he posted a record of 50-37-1 in his six seasons with the club.

Despite being primarily a backup for a few seasons, Cousins' tenure with Washington played out nicely as he kicked off what has been a great career thus far. Now with Atlanta, Cousins looks to help elevate a young team that has been mediocre in recent seasons, as he attempts to help the franchise turn around.

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