Kirk Cousins on Proving Himself Every Year

Cousins talks about having to prove himself again and again during his football career.

Transcript

00:00 Now that you're sort of in regular season mode here, to what extent are you thinking about or compartmentalizing

00:05 the fact that every week whatever happens could potentially impact what happens to you in March?

00:11 Well, I think that's been my whole life in this league, you know, and I view that in training camp too.

00:16 Like when I go out there, I view it as like I'm only as good as my last pass, my last practice.

00:21 So it's sort of been life for me and I would even go back to college like in quarterback competitions with Nick Foles and

00:29 you know, you basically felt like you're going out there every day and putting your

00:34 you know, your job on the line and that's quarterbacking. So I've been doing it for 16 years. This will be my 17th.

00:41 I think when I was at Holland Christian, my job was pretty safe.

00:44 So I didn't really feel that. I would go out there and I'm like I could have a bad practice today.

00:48 It really isn't gonna affect much of anything. But for the last 16 years, this being my 17th,

00:52 that's kind of the life you live and I think when you take that seriously, it lends itself to

00:58 you know, having success more days than not. So

01:02 I've also believed going back to when I was being recruited in high school, I asked a similar question.

01:07 This is your senior year. Every pass could be a referendum on whether or not you're gonna get a college scholarship.

01:12 Let's say if we win football games,

01:15 everything else will take care of itself. So let's just focus on doing what we need to do to win and

01:20 there really won't be much else to think or be concerned about if we're winning football games.

01:26 At this point in your career, do you think you should be playing for your job?

01:28 I don't think it's mine to say. I will say, you know, I remember when

01:32 a quarterback was drafted high in New England and Tom was the starter and Tom made the point,

01:37 there is no entitlement in the NFL. And if there is entitlement in the NFL, that organization is probably doing it wrong.

01:43 So I think it's healthy when players need to go out every day and nobody's entitled to anything.

01:49 I think that's a healthy way to run an organization. So

01:52 it's going to bring out the best in all of us. And if it ever isn't that way here,

01:57 I would be the first one to complain and say, "Hey, I sense some entitlement." So let's change that.