Photo: All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons²

Kirk Cousins

Quarterback, Las Vegas Raiders · #8.

Player facts

Team: Las Vegas Raiders
Position: Quarterback
Number: 8
Born: Aug 19, 1988 (age 38)
Birthplace: Holland, MI, USA
Height: 6' 3"
Weight: 209 lbs
College: Michigan State
Experience: 15 seasons
Status: Active

Stats

Among the NFL leaders, 2026 Regular Season:

8th in passing yards 1269
2nd in passing touchdowns 12

2026 Passing

	CMP	ATT	CMP%	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	LNG	SACK	RTG	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG
Regular Season	112	172	65.1	1,269	7.4	12	4	42	8	100.7	12	-2	-0.2	0	5
Last 5 Games	112	172	65.9	1,269	7.5	12	4	42	8	102.6	12	-2	0.0	0	5
Career	4046	6071	66.6	45,969	7.6	310	135	81	353	96.9	353	963	2.7	20	29

Advanced stats

2026 season through week 6. EPA per play is the points a play added to the team’s expected score; success rate is the share of plays that kept the offense on schedule; CPOE is completion percentage over what the throws’ difficulty predicted. Rank is by EPA per play.

	Plays	EPA/play	Success	CPOE	League rank
Passing	218 dropbacks	+0.19	50%	-0.7	8th of 32

NFL data: nflverse, CC BY 4.0.

Recent games

			Passing											Rushing
Date	Opponent	Result	CMP	ATT	YDS	CMP%	AVG	TD	INT	LNG	SACK	RTG	QBR	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG
Sun, Oct 11	@ NE	L 45-17	19	28	243	67.9	8.7	1	0	31	3	106.7	68.8	0	0	0.0	0	0
Sun, Oct 4	vs KC	L 30-27	31	52	365	59.6	7.0	2	1	28	0	85.8	73.2	0	0	0.0	0	0
Sun, Sep 27	@ NO	W 35-27	22	33	248	66.7	7.5	3	0	22	3	119.3	66.5	3	3	1.0	0	5
Sun, Sep 20	@ LAC	W 26-14	19	29	253	65.5	8.7	3	1	42	2	113.1	74.5	4	1	0.3	0	4
Sun, Sep 13	vs MIA	W 27-13	21	30	160	70.0	5.3	3	2	21	0	88.2	31.7	5	-6	-1.2	0	3

Last 5 games. Click a game for its box score.

About

Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American professional football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft. Cousins ranks sixth all-time in completion percentage with at least 1,500 pass attempts and is 11th in the NFL's all-time regular season career passer rating.

Cousins spent his first three seasons with the Redskins as a backup to Robert Griffin III before replacing an injured Griffin in 2015 and leading the team to a division title. With Washington, Cousins set several franchise records and was named to the 2017 Pro Bowl. After two years of signing franchise tags and being unable to agree with the team on a long-term deal, Cousins signed a fully guaranteed three-year US$84 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent in 2018. In six seasons with the Vikings, he earned three Pro Bowl selections and ranks third in the Vikings' all-time passing yards list. Cousins later played two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.

From Wikipedia’s article on Kirk Cousins, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.¹

Background

Early life

Kirk Cousins was born in Barrington, Illinois on August 19, 1988, to Don Cousins and MaryAnn Cousins. He is the middle child amongst three children. Cousins attended Holland Christian High School in Holland, Michigan, where he starred in football, baseball, and basketball for the Maroons athletic teams. Cousins broke his ankle in his junior year and was forced to attend camps in order to make an impression with recruiting colleges. Cousins finished his high school football career with 3,204 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions.

After high school, Cousins was set to sign with Toledo or Western Michigan, until Mark Dantonio became the head coach at Michigan State in 2007. After Dantonio failed to sign his top targets at quarterback, he offered a scholarship to Cousins, who accepted. Cousins also participated in the Athletes in Action sports ministry.

College career

Cousins redshirted for the 2007 season. In 2008, he spent the season as the backup quarterback to Brian Hoyer. Cousins played in five games passing for 310 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.

In 2009, Cousins competed for and won the starting quarterback job against teammate Keith Nichol. He led Michigan State to a 6–7 (4–4) season while throwing for 2,680 yards, 19 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 12 games. In 2010, Cousins led Michigan State to an 11–2 (7–1) record and a share of the Big Ten Conference Championship.

In 2011, the Spartans went 11–3 (7–2) and played in the first-ever Big Ten Football Championship Game. Cousins led the Big Ten Conference in pass completions, pass attempts, and passing yards. He was named second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches, and played his final game as a Michigan State Spartan on January 2, 2012, defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in the Outback Bowl. Cousins' teams posted an undefeated 4–0 record against the in-state rival Michigan Wolverines. He won the 2011 Lowes's Senior CLASS Award.

Cousins majored in kinesiology.

Personal life

Cousins is a practicing Evangelical Christian. He married Julie Hampton on June 28, 2014, in Atlanta, Georgia. As of 2026, Cousins and his wife have two sons, Cooper and Turner.

During his time with the Redskins, Cousins earned the nickname "Captain Kirk" from the media for his presence as a leader, referencing the Star Trek character.

Cousins is a cousin of Major League Baseball pitcher Jake Cousins. He has supported Compassion International and its "Fill the Stadium" initiative.

Cousins was recorded on and off the field during the 2022 and 2024 NFL season for a Netflix and NFL Films documentary series, Quarterback, which debuted on Netflix on July 12, 2023 (Season 1) and July 12, 2025 (Season 2).

From Wikipedia’s article on Kirk Cousins, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article.¹