Last offseason, Kirk Cousins signed a lucrative contract with the Atlanta Falcons, ending his six-year stint with the Minnesota Vikings. Cousins has struggled as of late and has now been benched for Michael Penix Jr. Let’s examine the deal, his 2024 salary, net worth, and career earnings.
What Is Kirk Cousins’ Contract and Salary?
One of the best businessmen in NFL history, Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons in March 2024.
Cousins received $90 million guaranteed at signing: a $50 million signing bonus, $12.5 million base salary for 2024, and a $27.5 million base salary for 2025. His 2026 roster bonus ($10 million) is already guaranteed for injury and will become fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2025 league year.
Atlanta used the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on QB Michael Penix Jr., inviting speculation about Cousins’ long-term fit on the roster. While trading Cousins would be the Falcons’ best bet, the veteran quarterback has a full no-trade clause. Now that the team has benched him, things will get interesting. If they do trade him, they would carry a dead cap number of $37.5M in 2025, but save $27.5M in cash and $2.5M in cap.
Cutting Cousins won’t be cheap. Atlanta has essentially zero incentive to cut Cousins before 2026 since his 2025 salary is already fully guaranteed.
If they do decide to release Cousins, they would carry a dead cap hit of $65 million in 2025, the largest in NFL history. Below are the four current leaders in that clubhouse.
- Russell Wilson, $49M APY (23.5% of 2022 salary cap)
- Deshaun Watson, $46M APY (22.1% of 2022 salary cap)
- Derek Carr, $40.5M APY (19.4% of 2022 salary cap)
- Daniel Jones, $40M APY (17.8% of 2023 salary cap)
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, they could release him before March 16 (post-June 1 designation) and carry the same cash hit, but they’d spread it over two years: $40M in 2025 (his scheduled number) and $25M in 2026.
Pelissero added that if Cousins remains on the Atlanta roster as of March 16, another $10M in 2026 would become fully guaranteed — not impossible, but practically unfathomable after the decision to bench him.
The #Falcons' options with Kirk Cousins after today's benching in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr.:
* Release him before March 16, 2025 (no-post June 1 designation): They'd still owe him $27.5 million fully guaranteed cash and carry a $65M dead cap hit in 2025.
* Release him…
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 18, 2024
In a league where guaranteed money isn’t the norm, Cousins and his camp have done an incredible job getting fully guaranteed deals. In fact, this will be his 10th season in a row playing on a salary that’s fully guaranteed.
Cousins’ new deal will pay him $45 million per year. Cousins is currently the 12th-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL — tied with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
What Is Cousins’ Net Worth and Career Earnings?
Cousins’ net worth is estimated to be a whopping $120 million.
Throughout the course of his 13-year career, Cousins has earned $294,169,486 from his NFL contracts alone. That’s the sixth-highest career earnings among active players.
Only New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers ($380,658,010), Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford ($364,313,912), NFL legend Tom Brady ($332,962,392), Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson ($305,362,520), and retired NFL QB Matt Ryan ($303,713,631) have earned more than Cousins throughout their careers.
MORE: Who Are the NFL’s Highest-Paid Quarterbacks?
While the majority of Cousins’ wealth comes from his NFL contracts, he also has a number of endorsement deals.
Cousins has partnered with brands such as Bose, Nike, Pizza Ranch, Kay Jewelers, Neuxtec, DraftKings, TLC Laser Eye Centers, KW Sports + Entertainment, Raising Canes, Maison Realty Group, and KFC.
Cousins has even ventured into the breakfast cereal world, where he created his own brand of cereal called “Cousins CinnaMinn Snaps,” with the proceeds going to the Kirk and Julie Cousins Foundation.
Despite his massive wealth, he still leads a simple lifestyle, famously dressing at Kohl’s and driving a 2000 GMC Savana van. For years, he and his wife even lived in his parents’ and in-laws’ basements during the offseason to save money.