Just hours before Saturday’s Divisional Round matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins surprised everyone by announcing his involvement in ESPN’s pregame coverage. In the eyes of most media pundits, he certainly didn’t disappoint. Cousins has always had a charismatic personality, dating back to his memorable moment where he shouted “You like that” at reporters during his time in Washington. On Saturday, we also witnessed some impressive in-depth analysis from Cousins regarding how the Texans could tackle the Chiefs’ defensive scheme led by longtime coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Kirk Cousins with a film breakdown of the approach from Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo. 🏈📺🎙️ #NFL https://t.co/pJPpSw3iw5 pic.twitter.com/xl8Li4Jd3p
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 18, 2025
While some casual football fans might not have needed or wanted such detailed scheme analysis, many who are passionate about the X’s and O’s appreciated Cousins’ insights. Later during the broadcast, Cousins made an intriguing comparison between his skills and those of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, candidly admitting that at times, it’s hard to believe they share the same position.
“There’s times where I watch Pat play, and it’s hard to believe we play the same position.”
Kirk Cousins on Patrick Mahomes. pic.twitter.com/E04YYnhw4k
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 18, 2025
Many media members found humor in Cousins’ brutally honest assessment of his skills compared to Mahomes. Feedback on Cousins’ performance was overwhelmingly positive, with commentary highlighting his natural analytical ability and how being active in the league gives him an advantageous perspective.
.@KirkCousins8 is gonna be PHENOMENAL on television 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/TSs4wIhaAs
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 18, 2025
Kirk Cousins is already a really good analyst. And he’s not even an analyst yet. pic.twitter.com/bXOoNWkAxg
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) January 18, 2025
Cousins demonstrated impressive control during the broadcast, even seamlessly taking over the conversation when Scott Van Pelt dealt with microphone issues—a commendable feat given his lack of experience as an analyst. He has an uncertain future as an NFL quarterback with three years remaining on his four-year deal with the Falcons, a team that notably benched him for rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in Week 16. With this in mind, it certainly seems plausible that Cousins could be setting up a career in sports media once his NFL playing career concludes.
Regardless, following this guest appearance on ESPN, the option to pursue a media career will definitely be available for him if he chooses to take it.
