Kirk Cousins made it very clear that he does not understand what the Atlanta Falcons offense had to endure in each of the last three seasons under Arthur Smith. His introductory press conference indicated a lack of knowledge as to just how frustrating it was.
He has no idea!
Cousins wore the No. 8 in high school, at Michigan State, with the Washington Redskins and with the Minnesota Vikings. That’s his number. 8.
However, Kyle Pitts chose the No. 8 for himself after being drafted fourth overall by the Falcons in 2021. Atlanta already has a No. 8 on its roster, which creates a conundrum with the signing of Cousins.
Although Cousins told Pitts that he wants to be a good teammate and would be more than happy to take a different number, he offered to make a donation on his behalf or even pay for the jersey number. The tight end said that payment would not be necessary.
Pitts requested “targets every game.” Cousins said that he was just joking.
Pitts was not joking. There was definitely a lot of truth behind his request after the last three years, which indicates that Cousins doesn’t fully comprehend the offensive neglect he is going to replace.
Pitts has played with Desmond Ridder, Marcus Mariota, Taylor Heinicke and Matt Ryan as his quarterbacks. The last two years, without Ryan, have been rough.
He caught just 28 passes on 59 targets in 2022. While 2023 was better, he still finished with only 52 catches and 667 yards on 90 targets while Jonnu Smith also saw 50 catches on 70 targets.
All of this goes to say that Kyle Pitts was absolutely not joking with Kirk Cousins…
The 35-year-old quarterback does not understand that his 23-year-old pass-catcher was dead serious. He is happy to relinquish the No. 8 jersey but he wants the ball!