Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.
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Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is getting some pushback following his deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins made headlines on Thursday, April 2, when he agreed to a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders, so he’ll embark on his 15th season in the NFL with the team. While this is good news for Cousins, not everybody is happy with the decision.
Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney, broke the news via a post on X on Thursday, congratulating the quarterback on inking with the franchise. But, first things first. Let’s look at the numbers and stats in this deal.
According to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, “On paper, it’s a three-year, $81.3M deal (or five for $172M with the void years).” But, he notes that “in reality, it’s one-year, $20 million for Kirk Cousins, who now will have played under fully guaranteed contracts for 11 consecutive seasons.”
Now, Cousins’ career earnings, according to research from Spotrac, rank third all-time in NFL history at $321.6 million. His previous deal with the Atlanta Falcons was a four-year, $180 million contract, but he did play for only two seasons before being released on a restructured contract.
Ex-Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins Gets a Little Backlash After Las Vegas Raiders Deal
The Las Vegas Raiders have all but already drafted Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, and those who wanted to see him start aren’t happy that they’ll likely have to wait. “Cousins is the John Wall of the NFL. Both talented, both overpaid (and) both never passed a second round of playoffs,” one follower commented online.
But, this is an expected move, and Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak even said on Tuesday, March 31, that said he preferred a rookie quarterback sit and develop the first year.
“Ideally, you don’t want him to start from Day 1,” Kubiak said. “You’d love him to be able to learn behind somebody. That’s in a perfect world. It doesn’t always work out that way.”
Cousins has said the same thing. Appearing with Kevin Clark on This is Football!, Cousins was asked what he would change about quarterback development, and he also mentioned having rookies learn before they get out there on the field.
“Well, I do think that there was a time when Aaron Rodgers got drafted and sat for three years. Carson Palmer got drafted and sat for a year,” he said on the show. “There have been teams that have said that was the plan, and then Week 4, 5, 6, the guys playing. So, I also think there was a time when coaches stuck around and a quarterback learned a system and played in that system most of his career.”
You’re Going to Get ‘Better Quarterback Play’ With a Veteran, Kirk Cousins Says
Elsewhere, he added, “So, the guys who are on the back end and are able to build up that experience can deal with that maybe a little more, but the young guys you wanna give as much continuity as you can and just hasn’t been the environment many guys, including a Sam Darnold, have been given.”
Finally, Cousins commented that “when you’re asking a talented player to kind of rewire his brain and do something different, he’s not going be the same talented player because he’s going to be a step slower, and he’s gonna be learning and thinking again.” He added that when you have a “Tom Brady or a Drew Brees,” or a Cousins, who’s been doing this for “15 years, the better quarterback play you’re going to get.”