Details emerge on QB Kirk Cousins' Raiders contract

Two days after the Raiders pay Cousins’ bonus next March, a two-year, fully guaranteed option worth $80M will kick in if he is still on their roster, Pelissero reports. 

That makes this a three-year, $81.3M pact on paper, Pelissero notes, but it is highly improbable his option will vest. The Raiders added two void years to the end of the deal, meaning Cousins will be on their books through 2030.

While the 37-year-old Cousins’ stock is down after back-to-back down seasons in Atlanta, he and agent Mike McCartney did well for themselves yet again. The two have been masterful in negotiations, evidenced by the fact that Cousins will go past Tom Brady for second on the NFL career earnings list when he collects his $10M bonus next year (via Spotrac). Cousins will climb over the $341M mark then, while Brady wrapped up his legendary 23-year career at $333M.

Brady, now a part-owner of the Raiders, is behind only Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford for now. Having already taken home over $408M, the 38-year-old Stafford could secure a raise before next season. Doing so would make it even more difficult for someone to catch him in the near future.

Cousins entered the league as a Washington fourth-round pick in 2012, the same year the franchise chose Robert Griffin III second overall. Griffin’s once-promising career flamed out as a result of injuries, leading to Cousins taking over as Washington’s full-time starter in 2015. Cousins went on to play 2016 and ’17 under the franchise tag, earning approximately $44M in those two seasons. He then left for a Vikings offer worth $84M over three years. That was the first fully guaranteed contract in league history, but it was not the last enormous payday for Cousins. He later pulled in two more Vikings extensions that combined for three years and $101M.

Cousins’ Vikings tenure came to an end when he left for the Falcons’ four-year, $180M offer in 2024. Despite awarding Cousins $100M in guaranteed money, the Falcons cut him halfway through the pact. Cousins will now attempt to put together a renaissance season in Las Vegas, where he will play a staggering 11th straight season on a fully guaranteed contract.