Kirk Cousins has an important message for Falcons fans

When the Falcons gave Kirk Cousins $180 million over four years, the deal was met with polar opposite reactions.

On the one hand, he’s in the twilight years of his career, coming off an Achilles injury, and hasn’t had much success in the postseason. However, on the other hand, he’s a clear upgrade over Desmond Ridder and makes the Falcons the favorites in the NFC South.

It’s clear Atlanta sees itself as a contender. What was most important about the contract was the structure, and it can be seen as a two-year deal. The Falcons have Cousins under contract for cap hits of $25 million this year, $40 million next year, and $57.5 million in the final two seasons.

If Atlanta were to move off of him after two seasons, they’d incur dead cap hits of $25 million in 2026 and $12.5 million in 2027 with $32.5 million and $45 million in cap savings, respectively. If they part ways with him after three seasons, they’ll only take on that $12.5 million in dead money while saving the $45 million in 2027, according to OverTheCap.

If you ask the man himself, though, Cousins plans on playing all four years and retiring an Atlanta Falcon.

“I want this to be my final stop,” he told Shaquille O’Neal. “I don’t wanna do the deal — no offense, but I don’t wanna go play for the Suns and Celtics at the end. I wanna finish with the Heat, if you will, and be done.”

If you’re not familiar with the NBA, O’Neal won a Finals with the Miami Heat next to Dwayne Wade in 2006 then went on to finish with the Suns, Celtics, and Cavaliers, where he was a shell of himself.

“My boys are 6 and 5,” Cousins continued. “They won’t remember that I played in Washington. They will barely remember I played in Minnesota. They’re gonna remember I played for the Falcons. And I want those to be good memories. So I feel like this is the stretch I wanna finish strong. People remember how you finish more than you start.”

The Falcons are hopeful that Kirk Cousins can prove many naysayers wrong, and I’m sure he’s eager to reward the team with their investment.