Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was benched by his new team, the Atlanta Falcons earlier this week, but he appears to have one supporter in legendary quarterback Fran Tarkenton.
Tarkenton put out a message for Cousins on his X account on Thursday, harkening back to the highs and lows of his playing career and how Cousins can use that to his advantage moving forward.
“I played 18 years in the National Football League, and I loved it. It was up and down. You win some, you lose some. You have the great highs and great lows. And right now, I’m going to reach out to my buddy . He’s had a tough week. benching him.
After in the league, he’s such a great player great leader. I'll reach out to him and wish him the best of everything. He’s been hit pretty hard with being benched as a great veteran player that he is."
Former Minnesota Vikings QB Fran Tarkenton expresses support for Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins
Tarkenton is right when he refers to the highs and lows during his career. Tarkenton began his career by playing six seasons for the Vikings before a feud with head coach Norm Van Brocklin facilitated a trade to the New York Giants in 1967.
Tarkenton played five seasons and made four Pro Bowls with the Giants, but only once did New York finish above .500 with a 9-5 season in 1970.
Tarkenton was traded to the Vikings following the 1971 season and went on to lead Minnesota to three of its four Super Bowl appearances, making the Pro Bowl in three straight years from 1974 to 1976 and winning the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award in 1975.
Tarkenton retired at age 38 after the 1978 season and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986. But he never won a Super Bowl, thanks to the highs and lows of a legendary career.
Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons last March but lasted just 14 games as their starter, throwing for 3,508 yards with 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
The $100 million in guaranteed money and offset language in his contract should help Cousins accept the benching and there’s a good chance Atlanta will be paying a majority of his salary if he plays somewhere else in 2025.
For now, Cousins is focused on supporting the Falcons for the rest of the season before turning his attention to regaining a starting role somewhere in 2025.