Quarterback, Michigan State, to 2011
Kirk Cousins
Lettered 2008–09 (school media guide)
- Number
- No. 8
- Height
- 6′3″
- Hometown
- Holland, MI
- Born
- Aug 19, 1988
Kirk Cousins played quarterback at Michigan State (to 2011). The Washington Redskins took Cousins in round 4, No. 102 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft.
At a glance
Career highs
353passing yards, best game on filevs. Western Michigan, 20093touchdown passes, best game on filenine times; last vs. Wisconsin, 2011Honors
Team titles: Big Ten champions, 2010
Players of the year, conference and regional honors: Wikipedia’s lists (CC BY-SA), each linked from its honor.
Passing
| Season | Team | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008* | Michigan State | 32 | 43 | 74.4 | 310 | 7.2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2009 | Michigan State | 198 | 328 | 60.4 | 2,680 | 8.2 | 19 | 9 |
| 2010 | Michigan State | 226 | 338 | 66.9 | 2,825 | 8.4 | 20 | 10 |
| 2011 | Michigan State | 267 | 419 | 63.7 | 3,316 | 7.9 | 25 | 10 |
| On file (2008–11) | 723 | 1,128 | 64.1 | 9,131 | 8.1 | 66 | 30 | |
Rushing
| Season | Team | Car | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008* | Michigan State | 3 | −12 | −4.0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2009 | Michigan State | 31 | 60 | 1.9 | 0 | 41 |
| 2010 | Michigan State | 40 | −136 | −3.4 | 1 | 8 |
| 2011 | Michigan State | 37 | −39 | −1.1 | 0 | 21 |
| On file (2008–11) | 111 | −127 | −1.1 | 1 | 41 | |
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls. * That team-season’s player lines are missing part of the team’s yards in our source, so these numbers may be short.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Ht |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Michigan State | 8 | QB | |
| 2009 | Michigan State | 8 | QB | |
| 2010 | Michigan State | 8 | QB | |
| 2011 | Michigan State | 8 | QB | 6′3″ |
As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.
Game by game
2011 Michigan State 14 games, 3,316 passing yards, 25 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs. | W 28–6 | 18 | 22 | 222 | 1 | 0 | −12 |
| Sep 10 | vs. | W 44–0 | 16 | 20 | 183 | 2 | 0 | −6 |
| Sep 17 | at | L 13–31 | 34 | 53 | 329 | 1 | 1 | −20 |
| Sep 24 | vs. | W 45–7 | 13 | 22 | 213 | 1 | 1 | – |
| Oct 1 | at | W 10–7 | 20 | 32 | 250 | 1 | 2 | −5 |
| Oct 15 | vs. | W 28–14 | 13 | 24 | 120 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 22 | vs. | W 37–31 | 22 | 31 | 290 | 3 | 0 | −27 |
| Oct 29 | at | L 3–24 | 11 | 27 | 86 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov 5 | vs. | W 31–24 | 23 | 34 | 296 | 2 | 0 | −13 |
| Nov 12 | at | W 37–21 | 18 | 31 | 260 | 3 | 0 | −7 |
| Nov 19 | vs. | W 55–3 | 16 | 23 | 272 | 3 | 0 | – |
| Nov 26 | at | W 31–17 | 14 | 20 | 214 | 2 | 1 | 25 |
| Dec 3 | vs. | L 39–42 | 22 | 30 | 281 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Jan 2 ✦ | vs. | W 33–30 | 27 | 50 | 300 | 1 | 3 | 23 |
2010 Michigan State 13 games, 2,825 passing yards, 20 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4 | vs. | W 38–14 | 13 | 21 | 186 | 1 | 0 | −4 |
| Sep 11 | vs. | W 30–17 | 9 | 17 | 142 | 1 | 1 | −4 |
| Sep 18 | vs. | W 34–31 | 23 | 33 | 245 | 2 | 1 | −5 |
| Sep 25 | vs. | W 45–7 | 16 | 20 | 290 | 2 | 0 | – |
| Oct 2 | vs. | W 34–24 | 20 | 29 | 269 | 3 | 2 | −8 |
| Oct 9 | at | W 34–17 | 18 | 25 | 284 | 1 | 0 | −24 |
| Oct 16 | vs. | W 26–6 | 13 | 24 | 201 | 1 | 0 | −11 |
| Oct 23 | at | W 35–27 | 29 | 43 | 331 | 3 | 0 | −15 |
| Oct 30 | at | L 6–37 | 21 | 29 | 198 | 1 | 3 | – |
| Nov 6 | vs. | W 31–8 | 9 | 20 | 131 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Nov 20 | vs. | W 35–31 | 28 | 37 | 276 | 3 | 1 | −13 |
| Nov 27 | at | W 28–22 | 17 | 22 | 152 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Jan 1 ✦ | vs. | L 7–49 | 10 | 18 | 120 | 0 | 1 | −56 |
2009 Michigan State 12 games, 2,680 passing yards, 19 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | vs. | W 44–3 | 10 | 17 | 183 | 3 | 0 | – |
| Sep 12 | vs. | L 27–29 | 13 | 18 | 164 | 1 | 0 | −5 |
| Sep 19 | at | L 30–33 | 23 | 35 | 302 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Sep 26 | at | L 30–38 | 17 | 34 | 201 | 2 | 1 | −10 |
| Oct 3 | vs. | W 26–20 | 15 | 21 | 152 | 0 | 2 | 75 |
| Oct 17 | vs. | W 24–14 | 21 | 31 | 281 | 2 | 0 | −5 |
| Oct 24 | vs. | L 13–15 | 16 | 32 | 225 | 1 | 0 | −23 |
| Oct 31 | at | L 34–42 | 21 | 35 | 236 | 2 | 1 | −1 |
| Nov 7 | vs. | W 49–14 | 22 | 25 | 353 | 2 | 0 | −5 |
| Nov 14 | at | W 40–37 | 11 | 25 | 208 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Nov 21 | vs. | L 14–42 | 16 | 28 | 155 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Jan 2 ✦ | vs. | L 31–41 | 13 | 27 | 220 | 1 | 2 | 18 |
2008 Michigan State 4 games, 310 passing yards, 2 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6 | vs. | W 42–10 | 3 | 4 | 32 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Oct 18 | vs. | L 7–45 | 18 | 25 | 161 | 1 | 1 | −8 |
| Nov 22 | at | L 18–49 | 7 | 9 | 81 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Jan 1 ✦ | vs. | L 12–24 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 0 | 0 | −10 |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
Before the draft
Played in the 2012 Senior Bowl (North team, won 23–13).
| Drill | Combine 2012 |
|---|---|
| Height | 6′2⅝″ |
| Weight | 214 lb |
| Arm length | 31¾″ |
| Hand size | 9⅞″ |
| Wingspan | 73⅝″W |
| 40-yard dash | 4.93 s |
| 10-yard split | 1.71 sW |
| Vertical jump | 28½″ |
| Broad jump | 9′1″ |
| 3-cone drill | 7.05 s |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.50 s |
Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Rosters and honors: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
In the NFL
15 seasons, 179 games with a stat; latest team: Las Vegas Raiders.
Pro Bowls: 4 (2016, 2019, 2021–22)
| Season | Team | G | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Washington Redskins | 3 | 33 | 48 | 466 | 4 | 3 | 22 |
| 2013 | Washington Redskins | 5 | 81 | 155 | 854 | 4 | 7 | 14 |
| 2014 | Washington Redskins | 6 | 126 | 204 | 1,710 | 10 | 9 | 20 |
| 2015 | Washington Redskins | 16 | 379 | 543 | 4,166 | 29 | 11 | 48 |
| 2016 | Washington Redskins | 16 | 406 | 606 | 4,917 | 25 | 12 | 96 |
| 2017 | Washington Redskins | 16 | 347 | 540 | 4,093 | 27 | 13 | 179 |
| 2018 | Minnesota Vikings | 16 | 425 | 606 | 4,298 | 30 | 10 | 123 |
| 2019 | Minnesota Vikings | 15 | 307 | 444 | 3,603 | 26 | 6 | 63 |
| 2020 | Minnesota Vikings | 16 | 349 | 516 | 4,265 | 35 | 13 | 156 |
| 2021 | Minnesota Vikings | 16 | 372 | 561 | 4,221 | 33 | 7 | 115 |
| 2022 | Minnesota Vikings | 17 | 424 | 643 | 4,547 | 29 | 14 | 97 |
| 2023 | Minnesota Vikings | 8 | 216 | 311 | 2,331 | 18 | 5 | 25 |
| 2024 | Atlanta Falcons | 14 | 303 | 453 | 3,508 | 18 | 16 | 0 |
| 2025 | Atlanta Falcons | 10 | 166 | 269 | 1,721 | 10 | 5 | 7 |
| 2026 (so far) | Las Vegas Raiders | 5 | 112 | 172 | 1,269 | 12 | 4 | −2 |
| NFL career | 179 | 4,046 | 6,071 | 45,969 | 310 | 135 | 963 | |
Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0), matched to him by his draft pick and college (Player ids: DynastyProcess (GPL-3.0)). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat. Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams by NFL season: rosters and honors, Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
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