Kirk Cousins passed Tom Brady in career earnings but fumbled the bag

If you were given $1.2 million every year from the time the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, you would earn $300 million by the end of 2026. That's still less than quarterback Kirk Cousins has made in his 14-year NFL career to date.

Cousins, who is entering his 15th season, has accrued over $321.6 million in career NFL earnings (through 2026). Future Hall of Famer Tom Brady made over $332.9 million in 23 seasons.

Thanks to the latest contract signed by the 37-year-old, he's going to blow by Brady for second place in all-time earnings. Cousins and the Las Vegas Raiders came to a five-year, $172 million agreement on Thursday which will see him don the silver and black for at least the next two seasons.

Similar to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce's three-year extension, the Cousins contract is expected to only see the four-time Pro Bowler suit up for 2026 and maybe 2027. The additional three years, presumably, are to spread out salary cap hits whether Cousins is on the roster or not. According to Spotrac, $80 million of his remaining money becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year in 2027.

Securing the bag may have been Kirk Cousins' competitive downfall

Outside of Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford, who owns the all-time earnings record ($408.3 million), Cousins has had the most lucrative career of any NFL player. Yet, he's the most expensive one to never compete for a Lombardi Trophy let alone lift one.

The Michigan State product was drafted 102nd overall by Washington back in 2012 where he made over $46.6 million across six seasons — the latter two of which were franchise tags worth nearly $44 million combined. Cousins' career took off after stepping up for the oft injured Robert Griffin III. The circumstances were unfortunate but his quality of play was entertaining to say the least. We liked that.

After some tense contract negotiations fell through with Washington he decided to take his talents north in free agency and signed with the Minnesota Vikings on a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million deal. Despite a rather mediocre tenure as the team's starter (25-21-1), Cousins managed to secure a two-year, $66 million extension — also fully guaranteed. He went 21-12 and led the team to its first NFC North title since 2017 during the 2022 campaign.

More strained negotiations resulted in just a one-year, $35 million extension — say it with me, fully guaranteed — in 2023 but a torn Achilles cut his year short after just eight games. If you're not sensing a pattern here, then I'll spell it out. Both Washington and Minnesota realized Cousins was not a championship-caliber passer (especially with an injury history) but due to the volatile QB markets at the time of negotiations, his agent managed to finagle healthy pay days for his client as the alternatives weren't much better.

The Vikings weren't going to be fooled by the then-35-year-old's pitch that he was a franchise QB worthy of a Matthew Stafford-like investment. At least the latter managed to win a Super Bowl with his second team.

Since then, his choice in employers has still netted him generational wealth but he's become competitively irrelevant. The Atlanta Falcons brought him in on a four-year, $180 million deal to supposedly to lead the franchise but then immediately turned around and drafted Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall in 2024. In two seasons, Cousins saw the field 24 times and that was mostly because the team sat Penix half of his rookie year and then he suffered an ACL tear early in 2025.

After keeping half of his earnings from the deal with Atlanta, he was released this offseason and chose the Raiders who will still hand him an $8.7 million check signed by the Falcons on top of their own $1.3 million salary owed. However, he's inexplicably stepping back into the same role he had the last two years as Las Vegas is expected to select Heisman Trophy-winner Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in April.

The only plausible explanation for this is general manager John Spytek (and maybe Tom Brady too) promised Cousins that Mendoza will not start Week 1 and the job is his until he either blows it or the Indiana product beats him out in practice. With limited options out there, the money plus that presumed guarantee is an offer hard to beat.

Now comes the test of whether Cousins can reclaim any of his Minneapolis magic or Washington wonder in Sin City. Lord knows he's got enough [Kohls] cash to last him multiple lifetimes but this looks to be his best opportunity to ride off into the desert sunset on a high note.

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