The 2024 season was arguably the worst of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins‘ 13-year NFL career. Coming off an Achilles injury that prematurely ended his 2023 campaign, Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the quarterback-needy Falcons in free agency.
Early in the season, the 36-year-old still appeared to be feeling the effects of his Achilles injury. Cousins lacked mobility for the first few games but turned things around with a dominant stretch in October.
Right when the team was hitting its stride, the veteran signal-caller began the worst four-game stretch of his NFL career. Many around the league openly wondered if Cousins was playing hurt and his recent comments added more fuel to the fire.
Cousins discussed the challenges of playing through ankle, shoulder and elbow injuries during the 2024 season in a new feature from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
“The challenge I had was — and it sounds strange to say — it was like the rest of my ankle still needed to figure out how to be an ankle again,” said Cousins. “And that’s what I was working through, especially early in the season.”
The Falcons QB refused to say his ankle was bothering him throughout the year but his comments and play on the field suggest otherwise. Cousins went on to discuss the shoulder and elbow injuries he suffered from a brutal Week 10 hit against the New Orleans Saints.
“But then I took a hit against the Saints in Week 10 that messed with my shoulder and elbow,” added Cousins. “So now, I had the right ankle, the shoulder, the elbow — there was a lot I was working through. That was hard.”
The Falcons’ four-game losing streak began in Week 10 with a loss to the underdog Saints. Head coach Raheem Morris was forced to bench his $180 million quarterback after the team barely escaped Las Vegas with a win over the Desmond Ridder-led Raiders.
Penix took over in Week 16 and led the team to a decisive win over the New York Giants. However, Atlanta’s defense crumbled over the final two weeks of the season and the team missed the playoffs for a seventh year in a row.
Perhaps with more clarity (and transparency) at the quarterback position, the Falcons can break the streak in 2025.