NFL
Kirk Cousins contract details: What is his salary and how many years does he have left with the Falcons?
Despite doubts about his fitness, the 36-year-old Atlanta Falcons quarterback was offered a bumper deal ahead of the 2024 season.
Following years of problems with a succession of quarterbacks, the Atlanta Falcons raised eyebrows in the off-season with a major piece of business.
The Falcons brought in veteran QB Kirk Cousins after the expiration of his contract with the Minnesota Vikings, offering him a four-year deal. Now 36 years old, Cousins will be 40 by the time his contract with Atlanta expires.
Cousins was signed on a $180 million deal, with $100 million of that coming in guaranteed payments. His average annual salary works out at $45 million, the same figure as three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes.
Is Kirk Cousins still recovering from an Achilles injury?
The Falcons began the season with a 10-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, in which Cousins went 16-26, throwing one touchdown and two interceptions. It was a difficult start for the veteran in Atlanta and there are now concerns about his fitness.
Cousins suffered a torn Achilles in October 2023, forcing him to miss most of his last season for the Vikings. His season opening for the Falcons was his first competitive game in ten months and there have been questions raised about the decision to limit his playing time in preseason.
Nevertheless Falcons coach Raheem Morris has insisted that the quarterback is ready to go for the new season.
“I feel like Kirk Cousins is healthy,” Morris said. “He’s been healthy since he’s been here, since he’s been back. Obviously, the restrictions we put on him when he first got here, being smart with the OTA days. Training camp, he was full go and able to move other than the scrambles and some of those things we limited.
“Towards the end of training camp, we allowed those things to happen, got him ready to go. We got to a game [Sunday], and we’ve got to get better,” he added.