Kirk Cousins Has Earned More Than Tom Brady From NFL Despite Having Just 1 Playoff Win in 14 Years

Kirk Cousins' accumulated career earnings from NFL contracts stands at nearly $350 million, with more to follow.

Kirk Cousins Has Earned More Than Tom Brady From NFL Despite Having Just 1 Playoff Win in 14 Years

Kirk Cousins and Tom Brady (Image via IMAGO)

In Short
  • Kirk Cousins has surpassed Tom Brady in total career earnings, reaching $341 million.
  • Cousins signed a five-year contract worth $172 million with the Las Vegas Raiders.
  • He has only one playoff win in 14 years, despite having two winning seasons in the NFL.

As it stands, Kirk Cousins has a strong opportunity to start football games again as he begins his 15th year in the NFL. He failed to fulfill his goal of retiring as an Atlanta Falcons player after realizing he had no future with the club.

The rise of Michael Penix Jr. and the arrival of Tua Tagovailoa have quickly put a damper on Cousins’ ambitions. So, he took the next best option by agreeing on a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.

This marks Cousins’ fourth club in the NFL since making his debut for the Washington Commanders in 2012. Six years later, he joined the Vikings, and after another six-year stint with the NFC North team, he moved to the Falcons in 2024.

The Falcons reportedly agreed to pay Cousins $45 million/year over the course of four years. A few weeks after putting pen to paper, the Falcons blindsided Cousins by drafting Penix in the first round to add competition for the QB1 job.

Cousins began as the starter, but his form deteriorated as the season progressed. Eventually, the coaching team succumbed to pressure from the fans to start Penix. Despite sharing snaps for the next 18 months or so, neither one of them managed to go on a winning run to qualify for the playoffs.

Cousins reportedly made nearly $105 million while posting a 12-10 record before accepting that his future lay elsewhere. On April 2nd, Cousins struck a deal with the Raiders for a five-year contract worth $172 million.

At 37 years old, he surpassed seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady in total career earnings. BetMGM shared that Kirk Cousins’ estimated career earnings from NFL contracts total $341 million, which is about $11 million more than Brady’s.

Former NFL wide receiver gives credit to Kirk Cousins’ agent for finding him mouth-watering deals

Whether Jerry Jones likes it or not, athletes hire agents to handle the financial side of things so they can concentrate on honing their skills and winning championships. Cousins has never won a Super Bowl or come close to it, but he’s definitely enjoyed the perks of having a world-class agent.

Kirk Cousins Has Earned More Than Tom Brady From NFL Despite Having Just 1 Playoff Win in 14 Years
Kirk Cousins (Image via IMAGO)

Former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh gave a shoutout to Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney, who first broke the news about his client moving to Vegas. The retired Bengals star praised McCartney for maximizing Cousins’ value and getting him the best deals available.

I gotta shout out Kirk Cousins’ agent… You need to pat yourself on the back two or three times!

T.J. Houshmandzadeh said on Speakeasy

Houshmandzadeh is a big fan of Cousins playing for the Raiders, who are on the course of drafting quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall draft pick. With Cousins around, he can serve as a role model for Mendoza, helping shape him into a true franchise quarterback.

I love [this move], because [Klint] Kubiak is bringing in a quarterback and [saying], ‘Hey, we are hoping we can win games with you, but we are really paying you to be a great mentor, that’s what we are paying you for. We are paying you to be a great mentor…’ Teach [Mendoza] the game, teach him this young man the game of football, from a physical perspective and from a mental perspective

T.J. Houshmandzadeh continued

Cousins has recorded two winning seasons during his long stint in the league. He’s only managed one postseason victory in five starts, which came during the 2019 season with the Vikings when Kubiak was calling the plays as offensive coordinator. If success comes this season for the Raiders, then Cousins must overperform this upcoming season.

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