FLOWERY BRANCH — New Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins and tight end Kyle Pitts are in the midst of negotiations for jersey No. 8.
“I said I want to be a good teammate,” Cousins said Wednesday at his introductory press conference after signing as a free agent with the Falcons. “Number eight. That’s ultimately what I want to be. So, I said if it’s a number, you want to pivot from great? You let me know. I obviously have worn number eight since high school. If it’s a number, you’d like to keep great, no problem. I can find another number. So, I just want to be a good teammate.”
“(We’ll see) how that all plays out, but he was funny about it. I said I’ll write a check to whatever foundation. I’m not going to let you just give me the number. I want to make it worth your while. Make a donation, whatever needs to be done.”
The negotiations took a turn to the field by Pitts.
“He said, ‘I just want targets every game,’” Cousins said. “He was joking. He kind of winked. So, I joked with him. I said ‘good answer, good answer.’”
“We’ll see how it all plays out, but it might be bigger than us,” Cousins said.
Cousins was referring to what it would cost Pitts to buy out his unsold jerseys from Fanatics. Former Vikings running back Dalvin Cook considered a switch from No. 33 to No. 4 in 2021, but decided against it because it would have cost $1.5 million, according to Pro Football Talk.
