When the Atlanta Falcons signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to his four-year, $180 million contract in March, there were rumblings around whether or not the Falcons overpaid for the soon-to-be-37-year-old signal caller. How much value can Atlanta garner in the roster-building process when allocating those resources to the quarterback position?
But with Jared Goff making $53 million APY and Trevor Lawrence tying him at the top with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, it may be time to re-analyze how we see Cousins' contract.
When Cousins signed the deal, there were two camps:
- Those who understood the move and loved the aggressive nature (maybe a tad too aggressive) of going after a proven commodity at quarterback
- Those who would rather start from scratch and continue to build the roster around the quarterback, possibly drafting a second-tier rookie or keeping a bridge until next season's crop of quarterbacks.
With Lawrence's deal, Cousins' $45 million a year moves to the ninth-highest quarterback contract in the NFL, and the names in front of him all have something in common.
(Data provided by OverTheCap.com)
Player | Age | Total Value | Avg./Year |
Joe Burrow | 28 | $275,000,000 | $55,000,000 |
Trevor Lawrence | 25 | $275,000,000 | $55,000,000 |
Jared Goff | 30 | $212,000,000 | $53,000,000 |
Justin Herbert | 26 | $262,500,000 | $52,500,000 |
Lamar Jackson | 27 | $260,000,000 | $52,000,000 |
Jalen Hurts | 26 | $255,000,000 | $51,000,000 |
Kyler Murray | 27 | $230,500,000 | $46,100,000 |
Deshaun Watson | 29 | $230,000,000 | $46,000,000 |
Kirk Cousins | 36 | $180,000,000 | $45,000,000 |
All of the quarterbacks paid better than Cousins are looked at as potential long-term solutions. With the Falcons drafting quarterback Michael Penix in the first round, the Falcons established that Cousins was not in the long-term plans but is still good enough to be paid better than Daniel Jones and Derek Carr.
With the Murray and Watson contracts, Cousins has helped to establish an upper-middle class for the position. As Tua Tagovailoa, Jordan Love and Dak Prescott wait for their deals, Cousins' contract looks to continue to garner more value.
Can Cousins still lead you to a Super Bowl, even after a devastating Achilles injury at 36? That remains to be seen. What he can do is lead your team to the playoffs and will continue to keep the team relevant as they keep developing Penix.
If this goes according to plan, Cousins will easily be worth every penny.
