Nobody went through more of a rollercoaster over the last couple of years than Kirk Cousins. He was on an MVP pace to start the 2023 season, leading the league in various categories before tearing his Achilles midway through the campaign.
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Later, he was let go by the Minnesota Vikings. But the Atlanta Falcons swooped in with a $180 million contract. Then, they inexplicably drafted Michael Penix Jr. with a top 10 pick in the draft. But Kirk retained the starting job and began the season 6-3. He then went 0-4 while throwing eight picks and no TDs and got benched. Penix is the QB1 in Atlanta now, and they hope for many years to come.
Cousins recently said that he felt “misled” by the Falcons when they drafted Penix mere weeks after giving the veteran a near-$200 million contract. That is more than fair. Who wouldn’t feel hard done by such a swift, unfavorable change of direction in their career path? Former NFLer Chris Long said he could totally relate to Cousins’ anger over how it all went down and believes every NFL player needs to be a little “selfish”.
“I think we’re all selfish. … I’m a selfish motherf**ker because I tried to stay out there as long as I could. … If he is selfish, he is far from the only one.”
Football may be a team sport, but if you want to be successful, you need to be a little bit selfish. You must have some level of delusion. You always have to believe that you should be the one out there to put the team in the best position to win.
Cousins is definitely not alone, and Long is right there beside him in this instance. The former NFL defensive end and two-time Super Bowl champion described a very similar situation that he went through toward the end of his career. He talked about how aging veterans need to reset their expectations later on in their careers.
“When your years are numbered in the NFL, you wanna find a soft landing spot. You’re not 23 anymore where you’re like, ‘Yeah f**k it, whataver happens, I’ll beat out anybody out.’ You’re an aging veteran. It’s not as cheap to sign you. They’re always gonna give nods to younger guys.”
After winning the Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in 2016, Long signed for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 at age 32. It wasn’t a massive deal like the one Cousins signed, only a two-year, $4.5 million pact. But he felt like it was a safe destination, though he admits the Eagles did not explicitly say they wouldn’t draft a defensive end.
However, in the draft a month later, the Birds soon selected what he viewed as his replacement—before he’d even played a game in green threads.
“I went over to Germany to get stem cell treatment. And I’ll never forget, six-hour difference. Woke up in the middle of the night to take a piss. My phone had 200 text messages. It was the night of the draft. Here I was, just thinking, oh I’m good, and they draft the guy who broke Reggie White’s record at Tennessee. (Laughs) … In the moment I was like, ‘Man, f**k! Are you kidding me?’ … And they drafted him in the first round,” he added.
Derek Barnett, who was selected No. 14 overall, and Long ended up combining to help the Eagles win the Super Bowl that season, so the team clearly made the right call. However, you can understand why Long or Cousins might feel misled by the team they just signed with. Long, of course, had no hard feelings for Barnett, whom he affectionately calls “Gumby”.
When the Eagles drafted Josh Sweat (a major contributor in their Super Bowl win in 2024) the next year in 2018, Long stated that the team gave him a courtesy call first. It may hurt feelings, but making these tough decisions benefits the teams in the long run.
But that doesn’t mean Kirk Cousins can’t be in a huff about it.
