Kirk Cousins surges into the top 15 all-time NFL passing touchdowns, a testament to his relentless climb past legends.
The Atlanta Falcons pulled off a wild road upset last night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and in the process, Michigan State alum Kirk Cousins added another milestone to his remarkable NFL career. The veteran quarterback threw three touchdown passes in the victory, pushing him into the top 15 all-time in NFL passing touchdowns.
Cousins’ first touchdown of the night was a historic one. It marked his 292nd career passing touchdown, allowing him to pass Hall of Famer Warren Moon for sole possession of 16th place. He wasn’t done there. Cousins tossed two more scores before the final whistle, bringing him to 294 career touchdowns and tying former Pro Bowler Carson Palmer for 15th on the all-time list.
To put that into perspective: Since the AFL–NFL merger in 1966, over 700 quarterbacks have started an NFL game. Only 14 of them have thrown more touchdowns than Kirk Cousins.
Here’s the short list of the elite company Cousins is now rubbing shoulders with:
Top 15 All-Time in Passing Touchdowns
- Tom Brady — 649
- Drew Brees — 571
- Peyton Manning — 539
- Aaron Rodgers — 523
- Brett Favre — 508
- Philip Rivers — 421
- Dan Marino — 420
- Ben Roethlisberger — 418
- Matthew Stafford — 412
- Matt Ryan — 381
- Eli Manning — 366
- Russell Wilson — 353
- Fran Tarkenton — 342
- John Elway — 300
- Kirk Cousins — 294 (Carson Palmer — 294)
Cousins is now one touchdown away from taking sole possession of the 15th spot. With three games left on the schedule, Cousins has a real chance to move even higher. If he averages two passing touchdowns per game to finish the season, he would tie John Elway for 14th all-time—a surreal thought for a quarterback once viewed as a career backup.
What Cousins is accomplishing at this stage is genuinely impressive. Nearly every quarterback above him is either already immortalized in Canton or will be the moment they retire. Cousins, meanwhile, entered the league in 2012 as a fourth-round pick by Washington—a team that didn’t draft him with the intention of building around him. They had already selected Robert Griffin III in the first round of the same draft. Cousins was supposed to be an insurance policy, a clipboard holder.
But as fate would have it, Cousins got opportunities and—eventually—capitalized on them. The journey wasn’t linear. He didn’t seize control instantly. He battled inconsistency early on. But he stayed the course, and now he’s passing Hall of Fame legends.
Do you like that? MSU fans certainly do.
Realistically, Cousins’ climb might slow after this season. Even if he passes Elway for 14th, the next target—Fran Tarkenton—sits at 342 touchdowns. That’s 48 more than Cousins currently has. For the 37-year-old quarterback two-years removed from an Achilles injury, reaching that tier would require not just starting a full season but playing at an elite level throughout it. That seems unlikely—but hey, so did a lot of milestones he’s already hit.
And if Philip Rivers can get a call to come back at 44 years old, who’s to say Cousins doesn’t have several years left to tack on numbers?
Kirk Cousins’ Michigan State Career Highlights
Cousins left East Lansing as one of the most decorated quarterbacks in school history:
- MSU’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns (66)
- MSU’s all-time leader in passing yards (9,131)
- MSU’s all-time leader in completions (723)
- MSU’s all-time leader in total offense (9,004 yards)
- MSU’s all-time leader in passing efficiency (146.1)
- Second-ever three-time team captain in program history
- Winningest quarterback in Spartan history (27 victories)
- Still top-10 in Big Ten history in completion percentage, efficiency, yards, and touchdowns
Cousins changed the standard at Michigan State. Now he’s cementing his legacy among NFL greats.
Spartan fans will always root for their guys, and it’s exciting—but far from surprising—to see Cousins continue ascending the NFL’s all-time touchdown leaderboard.