Kirk Cousins will wear No. 18 jersey in Atlanta

Kirk Cousins has a new jersey number.

Cousins will wear the No. 18 jersey in Atlanta, the Falcons announced today.

There was some talk that Cousins might purchase the No. 8 jersey from tight end Kyle Pitts, who has it in Atlanta, but that apparently didn't work out, possibly because any unsold Pitts jerseys would have to be purchased for a number change to be approved by the league — which could prove to be more than Cousins wanted to spend for the number.

Cousins wore No. 8 in both Minnesota and Washington, as well as in college at Michigan State and in high school. But he won't be wearing it in Atlanta.

Cousins actually started his career wearing No. 12 in his first two seasons in Washington before switching to No. 8 in his third season. Now he has the third jersey number of his NFL career.