Who is Kirk Cousins, the NFL star who just met Donald Trump in the Oval Office? The Atlanta Falcons quarterback has been influenced by his Christian pastor dad, and is married with 2 children

Mar 11 , 2025

Donald Trump and the Atlanta Falcons’ Kirk Cousins met in the White House recently. Photos: @MargoMartin47/X, @kirkcousins/Instagram

NFL star Kirk Cousins made a surprise visit to the Oval Office to meet with President Donald Trump last week – here’s what you need to know about his background

NFL star Kirk Cousins made a surprise visit to the Oval Office to meet with President Donald Trump last Friday.

“#18 [meets] #47,” Margo Martin, one of Trump’s loyal advisers, shared in a post on X with a photo of the two men smiling side by side. The numbers reference Cousins’ jersey number for the Atlanta Falcons, and Trump being the 47th president of the United States.

Kirk Cousins recently visited Washington and stopped in to say hello to President Trump. Photo: @kirkcousins/Instagram

Cousins had revealed on social media that he was planning a visit to Washington with his wife Julie Hampton Cousins. “Julie and I decided to take a trip to DC to travel down memory lane,” he wrote on Instagram. “Revisited the ‘Front Porch of America’ where we got engaged 11 years ago. Special spot for our family!”

Cousins has hung out with Trump before, including on one occasion in 2017 when they played golf, according to Sports Illustrated.

Kirk Cousins with one of the NFL’s dog mascots. Photo: @kirkcousins/Instagram

Cousins isn’t the first NFL player to meet with the president in recent weeks. Kansas City Chiefs’ Harrison Butker also paid Donald Trump a visit in late February, according to USA Today.

Here’s what we know about Kirk Cousins.

What is Kirk Cousins’ background?

Kirk Cousins grew up in Chicago. Photo: @kirkcousins/Instagram

Cousins grew up in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, before moving to Holland, Michigan when he was in the seventh grade, per Heavy.