Every NFL team’s highest salary for the 2023 season
By Nick Villano
Minnesota Vikings: Kirk Cousins — $20.25 million
Kirk Cousins was the original purveyor of the ridiculous salary for the middling quarterback. Now, Cousins’ deal looks like a robbery on the Vikings’ end. In a world where the NFL has a clear line between “good quarterbacks” and “losing quarterbacks,” Cousins clearly finds himself in the former. That’s more than enough to earn a $20 million salary.
Cousins has everything to play for this season. This is the last year of his contract, and he could become a free agent once again. After leaving Washington in 2018, Cousins took advantage of the free agent market and earned himself a fully-guaranteed three-year deal. He eventually signed another guaranteed extension, which runs through this season.
With so much personally on the line, Cousins will step up again this season. He always does when money is at stake. Also, with the Netflix series “Quarterback” getting more people on the Cousins bandwagon, he will have a chip on his shoulder. Expect him to sign another contract that has us shocked.
Will that contract be with the Vikings? They don’t really have a proper backup plan. Nobody expects much from Nick Mullens, and fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall out of BYU has a long road before he’s ready to start. Cousins might be back in purple on a new long-term deal before we know it.