Kirk Cousins Reaches Career Milestone with 40,000 Passing Yards

Kirk Cousins, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback, has ascended into elite company by reaching 40,000 career passing yards. This milestone came during a Sunday night match against the Kansas City Chiefs, marking Cousins as the fourth-fastest quarterback in NFL history to achieve this feat.

Entering the prime-time game in Atlanta, Cousins required 133 passing yards to join the exclusive club. He achieved this in the third quarter by completing a 5-yard pass to Darnell Mooney, bringing his total yards for the game to the precise amount needed.

Cousins reached this mark in his 153rd career NFL game, placing him alongside former greats such as Matt Ryan, who previously played for the Falcons. Ryan achieved the 40,000-yard milestone during the 2017 season and was the fastest player at the time to do so. However, Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams later surpassed Ryan’s record in 2019. Another notable mention is Drew Brees, the former New Orleans Saints quarterback, who reached 40,000 passing yards in 152 games, just one game fewer than Cousins. Additionally, Miami Dolphins Hall of Famer Dan Marino also achieved this milestone in 153 games.

With this achievement, Cousins becomes the 24th quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 40,000 passing yards. His journey to this milestone included recording 300-yard games in 50 of his 153 outings, and he surpassed the 400-yard mark eight times, hitting a career high of 460 yards against the Indianapolis Colts in 2022.

Aside from his passing yards, Cousins entered Sunday’s game with 273 touchdown passes, a number that had him tied with legendary San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana for the 19th all-time. Cousins quickly surpassed Montana by throwing his 274th career touchdown pass to Drake London during the first quarter, solidifying his place at No. 19.

Cousins now stands as the 24th player on the all-time passing yards list, with Baltimore Colts Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas next in his sights at 40,239 career yards.