Many players have earned the reputation as a “Hall-of-Famer at the bank.” But few have truly embodied that phrase more than Falcons QB Kirk Cousins. That’s why ESPN’s Bill Barnwell included Cousins at the top of his list to be ‘inducted’ in the inaugural class of the “Bag Hall of Fame (BHOF).”
As he enters his 14th season, Kirk Cousins has earned just under $332 million. To put that in perspective, that puts him just below Tom Brady among the highest-paid players of all time.
Tom Brady played 23 seasons, won a record 7 Super Bowls and set too many records to list. Kirk Cousins has 1 playoff win.
Tom Brady will be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. Kirk Cousins is the leader of the inaugural class of the “Bag Hall of Fame.”
Kirk Cousins Beat the Odds to Join the BHOF
To understand Cousins’ journey to the “Bag Hall of Fame,” we have to start at the beginning of his career. Stanford’s Andrew Luck – the consensus top pick – wound up going to the Indianapolis Colts at No. 1 overall.
Washington shocked the NFL world when they decided to select Cousins in the 4th Round of the 2012 NFL Draft. It wasn’t because Cousins was viewed as a borderline draft pick or had some big red flags in his background.
But, they had already spent significant draft capital to trade up to No. 2 overall for Robert Griffin III. They exchanged 1st Round picks with the then-St. Louis Rams, moving up from No. 6 to No. 2. But that wasn’t all. They sent their No. 39 pick in 2012 and each of their 1st Round picks in 2013 and 2014.
No one would have have believed you if you told them this back in 2012, but RGIII played just 37 total games over 3 seasons in Washington. Despite winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and earning a Pro Bowl nod, his injury issues would come to overshadow his status as an elite dual-threat quarterback.
Kirk Cousins saved his best for the final year of his rookie contract. The 4th-year quarterback stepped into the starting role and delivered another playoff appearance for Washington. But, that season wasn’t without its ups and downs.
Week 7 Comeback Win Over Bucs Secured First Bag
Cousins put together a mediocre stat line of 6 touchdowns and 8 interceptions across the first 6 games in 2015. That included exactly 1 touchdown pass in each game. As a result, Washington faced mounting pressure to replace Cousins with backup Colt McCoy.
But, Kirk Cousins went on a hot streak that kicked off his campaign for the Bag Hall of Fame.
During their Week 7 matchup at home against the Buccaneers, Washington dug themselves a 17-0 hole. They gained a total of 26 yards on their first three drives.
Then, after their first trip into Buccaneers territory, Cousins was strip-sacked. The Bucs returned it 43 yards for a touchdown to take a 24-0 lead.
Cousins bounced back nicely, going 4-4 for 50 yards and an 8-yard rushing touchdown to put Washington on the board. Each team traded punts before the Bucs ran out the clock to end the first half with a 24-7 lead.
After another Bucs punt to start the 2nd half, Cousins caught fire. He led Washington on four straight scoring drives to secure a 31-30 victory.
During the 2nd half, Cousins completed 21 of 25 passes for 206 yards and 3 touchdowns, including what turned out to be the game-winning score to tight end Jordan Reed on a 6-yard slant route with just under 30 seconds left.
Following the victory, Cousins uttered the phrase that became synonymous with his time in Washington: “You like that?!”
Throughout the rest of the season, Cousins played the best football of his career to that point, completing just over 70% of his passes for 20 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions. Cousins completely flipped the script, throwing for multiple touchdowns in 4 games, while turning the ball over a total of five times.
That offseason, Cousins and Washington couldn’t agree to an extension. So, he played under the franchise tag, earning just under $20 million ($19,953,000). That ranked 7th among all QBs in 2015, in terms of total cash.
Cousins put together another solid season in 2016, in which he completed 67% of his passes for over 4,900 yards, 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. But, that offseason, Washington and Cousins endured another contentious negotiation surrounding the terms of an extension.
That ultimately led to Cousins becoming the first player in league history to play under the franchise tag for two consecutive seasons. This time, his salary jumped up to just under $24 million ($23,943,600), good for 4th among all QBs in terms of total cash.
All in all, during his time with Washington, Cousins finished 26-30-1 as a starter. He made $46,640,630, equating to nearly $1.8 million per win. That’s nothing compared to his time in Minnesota or Atlanta, though.
Second Half of Cousins’ Career Secured his Spot in ‘Bag Hall of Fame’
Following his time in Washington, Cousins was in desperate need of a change of scenery. Enter the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings QB carousel during 2016 and 2017 set the stage for Cousins’ emergence as the marquee member of the “Bag Hall of Fame.” Minnesota experienced some devastating injury luck at the quarterback position, losing Teddy Bridgewater to a gruesome knee injury and Sam Bradford to swelling and soreness in his twice-torn ACL.
5th-year QB Case Keenum stepped in for most of the 2017 season, notching an impressive 12-3 record in the regular season. He even led the Vikings to a playoff win over the Saints, featuring a play that will haunt New Orleans fans for years to come.
Unfortunately, their run ended at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Keenum completed all 3 of his passes for 48 yards and touchdown on their opening drive. But, that would be their only scoring drive of the day, as Keenum turned the ball over 3 times (2 interceptions and 1 fumbles) and the Vikings surrendered 38 unanswered points.
Enter Kirk Cousins. When Cousins signed with the Vikings in March 2018, he made history in several ways, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. At the time, Rapoport reported the details on Cousins’ fully-guaranteed 3-year, $84 million deal.
“It not only makes him the highest paid player in football history, but he’s also the first quarterback to sign a multi-year, fully guaranteed deal,” Rapoport wrote.
Rapoport continued, writing the following:
Cousins made $44 million over the past two years with his franchise tags. That means he’ll make $128 million over five seasons. Consider the fact that before he signed his first franchise tag, Cousins made a contract counteroffer to the Redskins that was a three-year, $58.5 million offer that was fully guaranteed. They quickly turned it down. Safe to say, Cousins has done better for himself since then.
All in all, Cousins made over $185 million in Minnesota. While his 50-37-1 regular season record wasn’t too bad, especially during 2022. Cousins led a league-high 8 game-winning drives en route to a 13-4 season and a 3rd Pro Bowl in 5 seasons. But, their playoff run ended somewhat inexplicably on a 3-yard checkdown on 4th and 8 against the Giants in the Wild Card.
With a total of $185,028,856 across 50 wins, Cousins massively improved his case for the Bag Hall of Fame. He earned over $3.7 million per win in Minnesota, despite a 1-2 playoff record.
Cousins Cements His Case for the Bag Hall of Fame in Atlanta
Fast-forward to last offseason, when the Atlanta Falcons signed Cousins to a 4-year, $180 million deal, with $100 million guaranteed. Just over 6 weeks later, they drafted Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall, signaling that they hoped Cousins would serve as a bridge QB for a couple of years, while Penix learns the ropes behind the veteran. Think about former Falcons QB Brett Favre and his mentorship of Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.
Unfortunately, that scenario hasn’t played out exactly how the Falcons had hoped. After a 7-7 start, in which Cousins threw just 18 touchdowns and a league-high 16 interceptions (tied with Bucs QB Baker Mayfield), the Falcons opted to start Penix for the final 3 games.
Also, for context, despite matching interception totals, Mayfield started 17 games to Cousins’ 14. Mayfield also completed 71.4% of his passes for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns. Whereas, Cousins completed 66.9% of his passes for 3,508 yards and just 18 touchdowns.
Even with Penix slated to start in 2025 (and beyond), Atlanta has already paid Cousins $62,522,768 for just 1 season. By keeping him around past the June 1st cut deadline, he secured an even bigger bag. That pushed his guaranteed money with the Falcons up to $100 million.
When factoring in his $100 million guaranteed in Atlanta, Cousins has pushed his career earnings up to $331,692,254. With 83 wins over his career so far, his earnings per win have skyrocketed to just under $4 million.
It’s $3,996,292.22 per win, to be exact. That’s why he’s the face of the “Bag Hall of Fame.”
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