Kirk Cousins is leaving Minnesota to sign with Atlanta on a four-year, $180 million deal. It's a stunning move with major implications for the Falcons and Vikings.
Cousins, 36, should be drafted as a high-end No. 2 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues, but he has top-10 upside in Atlanta. He just has to prove he's 100 percent healthy after he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 8 last season.
Prior to getting hurt, Cousins was on pace for a career-best season in yards (4,953) and touchdowns (38), and hopefully he can pick up where he left off. He scored at least 22 Fantasy points in five of the eight games he played last season.
At the end of February, Cousins shared a social media post that showed him backpedaling and throwing in an indoor tennis facility. He also said in the post that he was "encouraged by the progress" that he's made thus far.
With the Falcons, Cousins will work with new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, who like Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell, comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree. And Atlanta has plenty of excellent playmakers for Cousins in Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. All benefit with Cousins now in Atlanta.
London has the potential to be a No. 1 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, but he should be drafted as a No. 2 option as early as Round 4. We've seen flashes of his upside in the first two years of his career, but he only has 11 outings with at least 13 PPR points in 33 games.
Part of that was playing in a run-based system under former head coach Arthur Smith. But London also suffered with poor quarterback play from Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke. That changes now with Cousins.
During his time in Minnesota, Cousins helped Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs thrive. Jefferson had four seasons in a row with at least 16.9 PPR points per game, Diggs had two seasons with at least 14.5 PPR points per game and Thielen had one season at 19.2 PPR points per game with Cousins.
Pitts also struggled the past two seasons with poor quarterback play, and he was dealing with a knee issue. But in one season with a veteran quarterback in Matt Ryan when Pitts was a rookie in 2021, Pitts had 68 catches for 1,026 yards and one touchdown on 110 targets, and he averaged 9.9 PPR points per game.
Fantasy managers burned by Pitts the past two seasons will probably avoid him, but he still has top-five upside in all Fantasy leagues. I'll be looking to draft Pitts as early as Round 6, and he should excel with Cousins.
The best tight end Cousins played with in Minnesota was T.J. Hockenson, who just averaged 14.1 PPR points per game in 2023. Hopefully, Cousins can bring out the best in Pitts this year.
As for Robinson, he was going to be a No. 1 Fantasy running back no matter who the quarterback was this season, but Cousins coming to Atlanta solidifies that. He's worth drafting as early as No. 3 overall in all leagues.
Robinson had an inconsistent rookie campaign in 2023 when he averaged 13.8 PPR points per game, but new Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said "Bijan is special" and plans to feature him more than Smith did. It should be exciting, and Cousins helped Dalvin Cook have three seasons with at least 40 catches in Minnesota.
As for the Vikings, we'll have to see what they do at quarterback with only Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens currently on the roster. Russell Wilson (Pittsburgh) and Mac Jones (Jacksonville) are no longer options, and it's doubtful the Bears will trade Justin Fields to a competitor in the NFC North.
Minnesota could select a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft, and the Vikings currently have the No. 11 overall pick. Whoever is under center in Minnesota will have great weapons in Jefferson, Hockenson and Jordan Addison. But all of them are likely headed for downgrades without Cousins.
We'll give a full evaluation of Minnesota's offense once the new quarterback is in place. But the Falcons win and the Vikings lose now that Cousins has signed in Atlanta.
