What is Kirk Cousins's Net Worth and Salary?
Kirk Cousins is an American professional football player who has a net worth of $160 million. Kirk Cousins entered the league as a fourth-round pick by Washington in 2012. Initially serving as Robert Griffin III's backup, Cousins took over as Washington's full-time starter in 2015 and played under the franchise tag for two seasons before signing a groundbreaking, fully-guaranteed $85 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018.
During his Vikings tenure, Cousins was known for exceptional accuracy, durability, and putting up strong statistical performances. He's made multiple Pro Bowl appearances and led Minnesota to several playoff appearances, though postseason success has largely eluded him. His 2023 season was cut short by an Achilles tear in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers. In March 2024, Kirk signed a $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons.
Contracts and $400+ Million Career Earnings
After his impressive 2015 season, Washington stuck Kirk with a franchise tag that kept him on the team without becoming a free agent, but also gave him a one-year salary of $22 million. He was franchise-tagged the following season as well. Doing so twice forced the Redskins to up his salary to $24 million. Had the Redskins franchise-tagged him again, his salary would have been required to be 44% higher. Reluctantly, the Redkins allowed Kirk to become a free agent. This was the first time Kirk decided to bet on himself and seek a big contract in free agency, as opposed to locking down a reliable, but smaller deal. He would bet on himself several more times during his career, to great financial heights.
When Cousins joined the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, he signed a then-unprecedented fully guaranteed $84 million contract. Prior to signing with the Vikings, he had reportedly been considering an offer from the New York Jets that would have paid $60 million in his first season alone with bonuses.
In March 2020, he signed a two-year, $66 million contract extension with the Vikings that came with a $30 million signing bonus. This new deal made him one of the highest-paid NFL players in the world and one of the 30 highest-paid entertainers.
Kirk became a free agent once again in 2024. And once again he opted to bet on himself by not signing a deal before becoming a free agent. Between his NFL debut in 2012 and March 2024, Kirk had earned $231 million in NFL salary alone. On March 11, 2024 Kirk signed a 4-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons. The deal included a $50 million signing bonus. $100 million of the deal is guaranteed. By the end of this contract, Kirk's career earnings will top $410 million.
Early Life and High School
Kirk Cousins was born on August 19, 1988 in Barrington, Illinois as the middle of three children of Maryann and Don. As a teenager, he attended Holland Christian High School in Michigan, where he was a star athlete in football, baseball, and basketball. On the football team, Cousins recorded 3,204 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions during his high school career.
Collegiate Career
Cousins went to Michigan State University on a football scholarship. After redshirting in his freshman year in 2007, he spent the 2008 season as the backup quarterback to Brian Hoyer. Cousins went on to become the starting quarterback for the Spartans in the 2009 season, and recorded 2,680 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 12 games. In 2010, he led the Spartans to an 11-2 record and a tie with the Wisconsin Badgers for the Big Ten Conference title. Cousins led the Spartans to an 11-3 record and the first-ever Big Ten Football Championship Game in 2011; this time, the team lost to the Wisconsin Badgers. Early the next year, the Spartans won the Outback Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs.
Washington Redskins
In the 2012 NFL draft, Cousins was chosen seventh by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round. He played only three games in his rookie season, recording 466 passing yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions. The Redskins ended up finishing atop the NFC East, but fell in the Wild Card Round to the Seattle Seahawks. In 2013, Cousins recorded 854 passing yards, four touchdowns, and seven interceptions in five games as the Redskins failed to reach the playoffs. His 2014 regular-season stats included 1,710 passing yards, ten touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
Cousins had his breakout year in 2015 when he helped lead the Redskins to their biggest comeback win in franchise history, throwing the final touchdown pass in the final seconds of a Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to clinch a 31-30 victory. He won two NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors and one NFC Offensive Player of the Month honor that season, and led the league with a 69.8% completion percentage. The Redskins finished atop the NFC East, but were eliminated in the Wild Card Round by the Green Bay Packers.
Cousins continued his success in 2016, finishing with a career-high and franchise-high 4,917 passing yards and earning his first career Pro Bowl selection. He recorded his third consecutive season with at least 4,000 passing yards in 2017, when he posted 4,093 yards to go along with 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Also in 2017, Cousins recorded a career-high 179 rushing yards on 49 attempts.
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Minnesota Vikings
In 2018, Cousins signed with the Minnesota Vikings. He had a strong first season with the team, recording 4,298 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. However, the Vikings narrowly missed the playoffs. Although Cousins had a less statistically impressive season in 2019, he earned his second career Pro Bowl selection as the Vikings made it to the Divisional Round, where they fell to the San Francisco 49ers. In 2020, Cousins posted 4,265 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions as the Vikings failed to reach the playoffs. The next season, he recorded 4,221 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, and earned his third career Pro Bowl selection. Once again, however, the Vikings failed to advance to the playoffs.
The Vikings had an impressive 2022 season, highlighted by a Week 15 game against the Indianapolis Colts in which Cousins helped the team complete the largest comeback in NFL history, with a 39-36 overtime victory. As a result, the Vikings finished atop the NFC North. Cousins finished the regular season with 4,547 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions, and earned his fourth career Pro Bowl selection. However, in the playoffs, the Vikings fell to the New York Giants in the Wild Card Round. Cousins played one more season with the Vikings in 2023, but was ruled out of the season following an Achilles injury in a Week 8 game against the Packers.
2024 Atlanta Falcons Contract
In March of 2024, Cousins signed a four-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons worth $180 million. In December 2024, the Falcons benched Cousins. At the same time, rumors swirled that the team would soon be cutting him. If that happens, the Falcons would still owe him $90 million. By the point when he was benched, Kirk had played 14 games and thrown 17 touchdowns for the team.
Personal Life
Cousins married Julie Hampton in the summer of 2014. Together, they have two sons named Cooper and Turner. Cousins is a practicing evangelical Christian.
