Kirk Cousins agreed to a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, setting him up as a mentor and bridge starter for likely No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza. The contract itself, however, made the biggest waves on social media.
Officially, Cousins signed a five-year, $172 million deal with the Raiders. Because of how the contract is structured, however, it will essentially function as a 1-year, $20 million deal.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that all $20 million of that will be guaranteed, meaning Cousins will have a fully-guaranteed contract for the 11th consecutive season.
That prompted one widespread reaction: Cousins and agent Mike McCartney are legendary at getting the most money out of teams.
Kirk Cousins and his agent every offseason pic.twitter.com/qnqaBF8xQL
— Onyx (@OnyxOdds) April 2, 2026
Kirk Cousins' agent needs a statue. To have 11 straight seasons fully guaranteed in the NFL is a legendary business move.
— ismailyasar (@bayirliogluismo) April 2, 2026
Kirk’s agent could sell sand in a desert
— Dusty May Lover (@DustyMayLover) April 2, 2026
Dude has the greatest agent of all time.
— BillsMafia5150 (@BillsMafia5150) April 2, 2026
Cousins has been a perfectly solid quarterback throughout his career. However, he has never won a Super Bowl or contended for MVP honors. Despite that, he has earned over $320 million in his NFL career, and will actually surpass Tom Brady in career earnings with his new deal.
Kirk Cousins' $10M guarantee for 2027 means he will surpass Tom Brady in NFL Career Earnings.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) April 2, 2026
Kirk Cousins: $341M+
Tom Brady: $333M
Cousins threw for 10 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in 10 games last season with the Atlanta Falcons, and will essentially be keeping the seat warm for Mendoza in Las Vegas. In terms of maximizing his career earnings, however, he is unquestionably one of the best to ever do it. No wonder some of his peers look up to him for it.
