Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft as a backup to fellow rookie Robert Griffin III. Cousins occasionally appeared in games during his first three seasons before replacing Griffin following an injury in 2015, where he remained the team's starter until 2017. With the Redskins, Cousins set numerous 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 Vikings as a free agent in 2018. He ranks sixth all-time in completion percentage with at least 1,500 pass attempts, and is eighth in the NFL's all-time regular season career passer rating.

Personal Life

Cousins is a practicing Evangelical Christian. He married Julie Hampton on June 28, 2014, in Atlanta, Georgia. As of 2019, Cousins and his wife have two sons, Cooper and Turner. During his time with the Redskins, Cousins earned the nicknames "Captain Kirk" from the media for his presence as a leader, referencing the Star Trek character. He also appeared in several commercials with Easterns Automotive, a D.C. used car dealership, with former Washington teammates Josh Norman and Ryan Kerrigan.

Cousins is a cousin of current Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jake Cousins. He has also supported Compassion International and its “Fill the Stadium” initiative.

Cousins was recorded on-and-off the field during the 2022 NFL season for a Netflix and NFL Films documentary series, Quarterback, which debuted on Netflix on July 12, 2023