The Cleveland Browns won exactly 24 games during the six seasons with linebacker Christian Kirksey on the roster.
Needless to say, Kirksey – who signed a two-year deal to join the Green Bay Packers in March – is excited about a chance to finally play for a franchise with a recent history of winning.
The Packers swept the NFC North, finished 13-3, beat the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round and advanced to the NFC title game in 2019, all things Kirksey has never experienced as a professional.
“I’m excited to be a part of that. I’ve never been a part of that in my six years in the league. I’ve never even had a winning season in my career,” Kirksey said during a Zoom conference call on Wednesday. “Just to get on Zoom and be a part of a team meeting and see a head coach come in here and say, ‘We were undefeated in our division, and we’re going to be the hunted.’ I got excited. I was revved up because I get to be a part of that.”
The closest the Browns got to a winning season with Kirksey was 2018 when Cleveland finished 7-8-1 and ended up third in the AFC North. They finished dead last in the division each of Kirksey’s first four seasons in the NFL and won exactly one game – going 1-31 overall – during a two-year stretch between 2016 and 2017. Over the last six seasons, the Browns were 24-71-1, with four different head coaches and five different leading passers.
A revolving door at quarterback certainly contributed to Cleveland’s inability to compete. In Green Bay, two-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers helps provide Kirksey with the most stable quarterback situation of his NFL career, even if first-round pick Jordan Love complicates the Packers’ long-term future of the position.
“Me coming into Green Bay and actually seeing Aaron Rodgers, who has been there, who I was watching when I was a kid. Him winning games and them winning the Super Bowl, going to the NFC championship,” Kirksey said. “I’m just excited.”
Kirksey said he felt “right at home” during his visit to Green Bay in March, noting his experience with defensive coordinator Mike Pettine and the small-town feel of Green Bay.
The winning culture was another big selling point. The Packers have been to the postseason eight of the last 10 years, winning six division titles and a Super Bowl since 2009.
Kirksey, who missed 23 games the last two years with injuries, compared his winding path to Green Bay to a “Cinderella story.”
“I got cut and got picked up by a great team,” Kirksey said. “It couldn’t have happened in a better way, as far as, almost like a Cinderella story. I get hurt, the next thing I know, I’m signing a deal with the Green Bay Packers. I’m excited about it.”
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