Two years ago, the Atlanta Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract to solidify the quarterback position in the post-Matt Ryan era. However, Cousins’ play was inconsistent at best and he was benched after 14 games as Atlanta’s starting quarterback.
The Falcons finally released Cousins at the start of the 2026 league year, putting an end to his disastrous two-year tenure in Atlanta. Overall, Cousins walked away from the team with $98.7 million for just 24 games of work (22 total starts).
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Despite his subpar play, the 37-year-old somehow secured another big contract from the Las Vegas Raiders. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cousins has signed a complicated five-year, $172 million deal, which is essentially a one-year deal with a team option.
“Kirk Cousins will sign a five-year, $172 million deal with the Raiders that in reality is a one-year, fully-guaranteed $20 million deal that also contains a club option for two years at $80M,” reported ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “The Falcons will pay Cousins $8.7 million this season, the Raiders another $1.3 million and Las Vegas also agreed to pay its new QB a fully-guaranteed $10 million roster bonus on the third day of the 2027 new league year.”
Whether he gets $172 million or $20 million, it’s still a lot of money for a backup/bridge caliber quarterback. As NFL fans know, Cousins’ agent is one of the best in the business when it comes to getting his client paid.
NFL world reacts to Kirk Cousins’ contract with Raiders
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons QB Kirk Cousins signs with Raiders: NFL world reacts