Ex-NFL Coach Pokes Fun at Vikings, Falcons Critics After Kirk Cousins' Record Night

A former NFL head coach had one of the funniest sports tweets of Thursday after Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins threw the game-winning touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Quarterback Kirk Cousins proved again Thursday night why the Atlanta Falcons wanted him so badly this offseason.

He had an incredible night passing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, throwing for 509 yards and 4 touchdowns. His final attempt was a 45-yard touchdown to clinch an overtime victory to move into first place of the NFC South.

With those kinds of results, Cousins is worth every penny of his $180 million contract. He's even worth the draft pick the Falcons had to forfeit for discussing travel arrangements directly with Cousins during the league's legal tampering period.

Of course, much to the chagrin of the Vikings and Falcons haters, the NFL only stripped Atlanta of a fifth-round pick for its "tampering" violations. Former NFL head coach Jay Gruden reminded fans of that fact with a hilarious tweet toward the end of Thursday's matchup.

"At least we got a 3rd round supplemental draft pick for Kirk," wrote Gruden on X (formerly Twitter).

At least we got a 3rd round supplemental draft pick for Kirk.

— Jay Gruden (@Coach_JayGruden) October 4, 2024

The "we" Gruden is referring to is the Washington Redskins (as they were known at the time). Gruden coached Washington from 2014-19, where Cousins started his career.

After heated contract negiotiations that saw Washington place the franchise tag on Cousins two years in a row, he finally left in free agency following the 2017-18 season. In March 2018, Cousins signed a fully guaranteed three-year deal worth $84 million with the Minnesota Vikings.

For his departure, Washington received a third-round supplemental draft pick. Hence, the joke Gruden made on X.

It's important to note that the Vikings actually didn't receive anything in return for Cousins departuing this past offseason. Despite a lot of debate in the media this spring that the Falcons were going to have to compensate the Vikings in some fashion, the punishment for Atlanta's tampering was rather mild.

The Falcons forfeited the fifth-round selection; they didn't send it to MInnesota.

The Vikings are doing just fine with their new quarterback. The Falcons are happy with theirs as well. Cousins' 509 yards broke Matt Ryan's franchise record for most passing yards in a game on the night Ryan went into the team's ring of honor.

Gruden had one of the best tweets of Thursday. Granted, he has plenty of time to formulate clever posts online since he hasn't coached in the league since 2020.