Kirk Cousins Net Worth (Money & Salary)

Kirk Cousins’s Net Worth and Salary: What Is It?

An American professional football player, Kirk Cousins, boasts a net worth of $120 million. Currently, he is a player for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. His career includes stints with the Washington Redskins from 2012 to 2017 and the Minnesota Vikings from 2018 to 2023. While with the Vikings, Cousins reached the Pro Bowl three times and ranked third on the franchise’s all-time passing yards list.

Career Earnings Exceeding $400 Million and Contracts

Following an outstanding season in 2015, Washington tagged Cousins with a franchise designation, allowing him to stay with the team without hitting free agency, but granting him a salary of $22 million for that year. The subsequent year, he received another franchise tag, which necessitated an increase in his salary to $24 million. Should the Redskins have tagged him a third time, his salary would have had to rise by 44%. Eventually, the Redskins permitted Cousins to enter free agency, marking the first occasion he chose to take a chance on himself in pursuit of a substantial contract rather than settling for a smaller, more secure agreement. Throughout his career, he would engage in this self-betting strategy multiple times, culminating in significant financial success.

Upon joining the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, Cousins secured a landmark, fully-guaranteed contract worth $84 million. Before this agreement, he was reportedly contemplating an offer from the New York Jets that would yield $60 million in his first year, including bonuses.

In March 2020, Cousins extended his contract with the Vikings by signing a two-year deal worth $66 million, which included a signing bonus of $30 million. This arrangement positioned him among the highest-paid players in the NFL and within the top 30 highest-paid entertainers.

Entering free agency once more in 2024, Cousins chose to gamble on himself again by refraining from signing any deal beforehand. By March 2024, he had accumulated $231 million solely from his NFL salary since his debut in 2012. On March 11, 2024, he inked a 4-year, $180 million agreement with the Atlanta Falcons, which featured a signing bonus of $50 million and $100 million in guaranteed money. By the conclusion of this new contract, his career earnings will surpass $410 million.

High School and Early Life

Kirk Cousins was born on August 19, 1988, in Barrington, Illinois, as the middle child in a family of three, with parents Maryann and Don. During his teenage years, he attended Holland Christian High School in Michigan, excelling in football, baseball, and basketball. As part of the football team, Cousins accumulated a total of 3,204 passing yards, with 40 touchdowns and 18 interceptions throughout his high school career.

Collegiate Career

Cousins received a football scholarship to Michigan State University. After redshirting his freshman year in 2007, he served as the backup quarterback behind Brian Hoyer during the 2008 season. In 2009, Cousins emerged as the starting quarterback for the Spartans, accomplishing 2,680 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and nine interceptions over the course of 12 games. In 2010, he guided the Spartans to an 11-2 record and shared the Big Ten Conference title with the Wisconsin Badgers. The following year, under Cousins’s leadership, the Spartans boasted an 11-3 record and competed in the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game, unfortunately losing to the Wisconsin Badgers. However, early the next year, the Spartans clinched victory in the Outback Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs.

Washington Redskins

During the 2012 NFL draft, Cousins was selected in the fourth round by the Washington Redskins as the seventh overall pick, appearing in only three games during his rookie season,

Cousins recorded 466 passing yards, alongside four touchdowns and three interceptions. While the Redskins managed to finish at the top of the NFC East, they ultimately fell to the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card Round. In 2013, over five games, Cousins amassed 854 passing yards, contributing four touchdowns and seven interceptions, as the Redskins did not qualify for the playoffs. His regular-season statistics in 2014 featured 1,710 passing yards, ten touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

2015 marked Cousins’ breakout year, as he played a crucial role in leading the Redskins to the largest comeback win in franchise history by throwing the final touchdown pass in the last seconds of a Week 7 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, clinching a 31-30 win. That season, he was honored with two NFC Offensive Player of the Week awards and one NFC Offensive Player of the Month award, leading the league with a 69.8% completion rate. The Redskins finished first in the NFC East but were eliminated in the Wild Card Round by the Green Bay Packers.

In 2016, Cousins continued to excel, concluding the season with a career-high and franchise-best 4,917 passing yards, which earned him his first Pro Bowl selection. He achieved his third consecutive season of at least 4,000 passing yards in 2017, posting 4,093 yards, coupled with 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Also, in 2017, Cousins achieved a career-high of 179 rushing yards over 49 attempts.

Minnesota Vikings

Cousins joined the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, enjoying a robust first season that yielded 4,298 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Despite his impressive performance, the Vikings squeaked by without making the playoffs. The 2019 season saw Cousins deliver statistically fewer highlights, yet he secured his second Pro Bowl selection as the Vikings advanced to the Divisional Round, where they were ultimately defeated by the San Francisco 49ers. In 2020, he totaled 4,265 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions; sadly, the Vikings missed the playoffs once more. The following year, Cousins finished with 4,221 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, earning his third Pro Bowl selection, although the Vikings could not break into the playoffs again.

The Vikings had a remarkable season in 2022, notably marked by a Week 15 game against the Indianapolis Colts, where Cousins orchestrated the largest comeback in NFL history, culminating in a 39-36 overtime victory. This success allowed the Vikings to finish first in the NFC North. Cousins concluded the regular season with 4,547 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions, which garnered him his fourth Pro Bowl selection. However, their playoff campaign ended prematurely with a loss to the New York Giants in the Wild Card Round. Cousins continued with the Vikings for one more season in 2023 but was sidelined for the rest of the year due to an Achilles injury sustained in a Week 8 game against the Packers.

Atlanta Falcons

In March 2024, Cousins made a major move by signing a four-year contract worth $180 million with the Atlanta Falcons.

Personal Life

Cousins entered into marriage with Julie Hampton during the summer of 2014. They share two sons, Cooper and Turner, and Cousins practices evangelical Christianity.