Kirk Cousins and Saquon Barkley, two of pro football’s best known players at their positions, flew the coop on Monday for the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles, respectively, jolting the normally staid NFL offseason.
Cousins, the fifth-leading passer of all active quarterbacks, has left the Minnesota Vikings and agreed to a four-year deal with the Falcons, his agent Mike McCartney said.
Cousins, 35, had spent six seasons in Minnesota, following six campaigns with the franchise now known as the Washington Commanders.
The NFL’s 2024 schedule has not been announced, but each team knows who they’ll be playing this fall. The Falcons, by coincidence, are set to visit the Vikings this season.
Barkley, a three-time, 1,000-yard rusher with the New York Giants, wrote on X: “Thank you to everyone who has shown me love and support over the past 6 years… forever grateful! Excited for the next chapter.”
His next post was simply of two eagles heads.
The 27-year-old Barkley was the No. 2 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Penn State.
He rushed for a single-season, career high of 1,312 yards on 4.4 yards per carry in 2022, helping Big Blue to a 9-7-1 mark and an unexpected playoff appearance.
Barkley and New York both slumped this past season as he ran for 962 yards and a 3.9 average while the Giants fell to 6-11. But he was still a valuable prize on the free agent market, particularly down the road in Philadelphia which quickly filled a need.
Barkley’s announcement came hours after the Eagles lost their top rusher as Philadelphia native D’Andre Swift bolted for the Chicago Bears.
As rivals in the NFC East, the Eagles and Giants will meet twice this upcoming season.
It’s been just four weeks since the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22, in Las Vegas to capture their second consecutive Super Bowl title and third championship in five years.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
