Kirk Cousins discloses NFL’s “several $100,000” demand for switching to No. 18 jersey number: “I don’t want to write that check”

Kirk Cousins is embarking on a new phase of his career.

Last month, the Atlanta Falcons signed the four-time Pro Bowler to a massive four-year, $180-million contract. Cousins is anticipated to resolve the team’s long-standing quarterback struggles following Matt Ryan’s departure two years ago.

In addition to joining a new team and coaching staff, Cousins is making another change by switching his jersey number. After wearing No. 8 for his entire career, he has now opted for the number 18. According to Cousins, this decision was influenced by tight end Kyle Pitts, as he explained on The Big Podcast with Shaquille O’Neal and Adam Lefkoe.

“So he wanted to switch numbers anyways. It was like a perfect fit… And then the league spoke into it. They’re like, ‘Well, Kyle Pitts has a lot of jerseys that are number 8 with ‘Pitts’ on the back. You would have to buy every single one.’ Both of us would have to just write the check.

“And I was like, ‘Well, what is it?’ It was a big number. And I was like, ‘I don’t want to write that check. I’m good.’ It was several 100,000$. So I was like, ‘I’m good with 18 and Kyle’s like I’m good with 8.’ So we’re going with 8 and 18.”

Kirk Cousins Discusses Long-Term Plans with Atlanta Falcons

During his introduction as an Atlanta Falcon last month, Kirk Cousins was straightforward about his decision to don the black and red jersey:

“It felt like this was a place where, if I play at the level I expect to play, that I can retire a Falcon. That was something that really excited me and that’s certainly the goal.”

During the same podcast interview, he reiterated that his offensive core had their sights set on nothing less than a Super Bowl victory.

“Most of my story (the fans) would likely know, but they need to know that I’m going to be committed to doing everything I can to help us win a world championship… It’s a 365, really, like what do we have to do to win a world championship? That’s really my plan.”

During his days at Washington and Minnesota, Cousins referenced his two sons, Cooper and Turner, in his argument, emphasizing that they were both very young at the time.

In further explanation, the first individual was born in September 2017, during the initial stages of their last season in Landover, Maryland. On the other hand, the second individual was born in March 2019, immediately following the conclusion of their debut season in Minneapolis.