Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins received the Bart Starr Award during the 36th annual Super Bowl breakfast. The event is sanctioned by the NFL and is hosted by the Christian non-profit, Athletes in Action. The award is given “to honor the NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community.” In receiving the award, Cousins said it was “a great honor.” He shared that he had met Bart Starr, whose character on and off the field inspired the award, in 2013. “[I] just tapped him on the shoulder, shook his hand, introduced myself and told him, basically, ‘Well done.’ Well done on the life he’s lived and not only what he did on the football field but who he was as a man and person and just the example he set and the foundation he built for our league,” Cousins recalled.

Cousins began his NFL career in 2012 when he was drafted by the then-named Washington Redskins. He stayed with the team through 2017 before being traded to the Vikings for the 2018 season. He is expected to return to the Vikings for the 2023 season and finished last season averaging nearly 69% in completions and 29 touchdowns. Aside from his status as a quarterback, Cousins, the son of a pastor, has distinguished himself as a devout Christian. As he accepted his award, he thanked God for helping him through a “roller coaster” journey. “Clearly, God knows what He’s doing. But, many times, it doesn’t agree with my expectations or what I would have liked to have happened,” he said. He went on to add how being a quarterback has increased his faith in God. “Ultimately, God owns my football journey, not me. Which, first of all, takes a lot of pressure off of me as I go through this journey. Second of all, it requires a great deal of faith to say: ‘this is not my journey to control. It’s my job to trust and obey and to give up control to Him.’ And it will be His call on how long I play and where this career goes. And I remind myself of that on a daily basis.”

Cousins has spoken on his faith often throughout the years. In speaking with Beyond the Ultimate when he was playing for Michigan State, he spoke about how his faith shapes who he is. “Football is very important to me and plays a huge role in my life. I count it a privilege to play football for Michigan State; it is a dream come true. But as important as football is and as passionate as I am about it, it is not the source of my identity.” He broke his ankle during his junior year of high school, and with no scholarship offers, it looked like his football career might be over. However, he persevered and was offered a scholarship by Michigan when the offensive coordinator saw him playing basketball. Cousins gave Jesus credit for how things had turned out. “The anchor of my life is Jesus Christ,” he said. “My identity is based upon His love for me and in my personal relationship with Him. At the foundation of my life is His truth, as spelled out in the Bible. I am passionate about Jesus, the one who gave His life on a cross to pay for my sin. One of my greatest desires is to live a life in a way that honors Him.”