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Kirk Cousins Has Amassed Mind-Blowing NFL Earnings

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated Mar 15, 2025 3:37 PM ET

It's not bad work if you can get it, apparently. For Kirk Cousins, he's been toiling at the job of NFL quarterback for 13 years now. And he has been paid. Handsomely.

On Saturday, it was revealed that the Falcons will go through with what they've been saying they'd do all along--rather than cutting Cousins before Saturday afternoon, when a hefty 2026 roster bonus kicks in, Atlanta is keeping him, though it will mean paying him a $40 million cap hit this year and more into next year.

"Sources: The Falcons officially will be keeping QB Kirk Cousins on their roster past 4 PM eastern today, triggering a guarantee on a $10M roster bonus that is due in 2026, sources told ESPN’s Field Yates and me," ESPN's Adam Schefter wrote on Twitter/X.

This comes despite the fact that Cousins lost his starting job to rookie Michael Penix Jr. last year in Week 15. For the season, he threw for 3,508 yards in 14 games, with 18 touchdowns, a league-high 16 interceptions and a career-low 88.6 quarterback rating.

Surely, he wants more action on the field this year. But at the very least, his accountant will be getting plenty of action on his balance sheet.

As Spotrac managing editor Mike Ginnitti wrote from the site's Twitter/X account, Cousins is on the brink of surpassing Tom Brady's all-time earnings.

Kirk Cousins has now guaranteed himself $331.6M earned on the field across 14 NFL seasons.

Tom Brady earned $332M in 23 seasons.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) March 15, 2025

"Kirk Cousins has now guaranteed himself $331.6M earned on the field across 14 NFL seasons. Tom Brady earned $332M in 23 seasons," he wrote.

Now, Brady often took less-than-market contracts during his time with the Patriots and Buccaneers, and the salary cap has, obviously, spiked since Brady retired. Still, the idea of Cousins on the brink of surpassing Brady, financially, is remarkable.

Cousins, with gaurantees and signing bonuses, made $62.5 million last year, per Spotrac.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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