FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Falcons announced their team captains for the 2024 season Monday.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins, offensive tackle Jake Matthews, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and safety Jessie Bates III will don the captain badge on their respective jerseys this season. The four captains will be out there for the opening coin toss on Sept. 8 when the Falcons host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1.
Jarrett, Bates and Matthews were also named team captains for the 2023 season. This marks Jarrett's sixth, Matthews' fourth and Bates' second time as captain. While Cousins wore another uniform last year, he has been named a captain for the ninth time in his career.
Cousins is entering his 13th year in the NFL and his first with Atlanta. The quarterback's career has been split evenly between six seasons in Washington, where he was drafted in 2012, and six seasons in Minnesota, where he compiled a 50-37-1 record before signing with the Falcons this offseason. He's accumulated 39,471 passing yards with 270 touchdowns and 110 interceptions in that span. Cousins has four Pro Bowls to his name, all but one with the Vikings.
Matthews enters his 11th season in the league, all with the Falcons after the franchise selected him No. 6 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. He has started every game but one for Atlanta his entire career, and set the team record for consecutive starts. In 2018, the offensive tackle earned Pro Bowl honors.
Jarrett is about to embark on his 10th campaign in the NFL. Like Matthews, Jarrett is a career-long Falcon who was drafted by Atlanta in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. In his career, he's recorded 443 tackles, 68 of those for a loss, 34 sacks and 114 quarterback hits. Jarrett has been selected for two Pro Bowls and earned a second-team All-Pro nod.
Bates has one year under his belt in Atlanta as he enters his seventh NFL season. Before he joined the Falcons in 2023, he spent five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, who picked the safety in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Bates has notched 20 interceptions, 54 pass breakups and 611 tackles in his career. In 2023, the safety went to his first Pro Bowl and earned his second All-Pro honor, both on the second team.
