2021 NFL Quarterback Power Rankings: How far ahead is Patrick Mahomes?
By Randy Gurzi
16. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
One player who seems to get a lot of undeserved grief is Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. A product of Michigan State, he was drafted in 2012 by the Washington Football Team — the same season they took Robert Griffin III out of Baylor at No. 2 overall.
A fourth-round pick, Cousins was considered a steal at this point and many believed he was a better fit in the system run by Mike and Kyle Shanahan. This led to a quarterback battle when Griffin suffered an injury following his great rookie season and subsequent decline.
While Cousins won the job eventually, Washington never seemed to believe in him as he played on the franchise tag in both 2016 and 2017. Then in 2018, he signed a massive three-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings where he continues to be heavily criticized despite putting up solid numbers.
In three seasons, he has completed 69 percent of his passes for 12,166 yards with 91 touchdowns against just 29 picks. He’s also got a winning record of 25-21-1 in that timeframe.
What he hasn’t done, is gotten them over the hump and after a 7-9 campaign in 2020, the critics are in full force. Having said that, Cousins is a good enough quarterback to win with, but since he’s not an elite player who wills his team to victory, he will probably always be picked on a bit.