The Las Vegas Raiders Just Gave Kirk Cousins A $172 Million Contract (Though He Likely Won't Earn All Of It)

The Las Vegas Raiders had a 2025 season to forget. They started off promising, with one of the most perplexing outcomes of the entire year, a 20-13 victory over the New England Patriots. The Patriots finished with a 14-3 regular season record and reached the Super Bowl as the AFC champions. Meanwhile, the Raiders went in the opposite direction. After the win in the season opener, the team proceeded to lose 14 of its next 15 games. Las Vegas ended the year on a positive note, eking out a 14-12 win over a Kansas City Chiefs squad that was largely playing its backups.

All those losses paid off, however. The Raiders enter this month's NFL Draft with the first overall pick. Las Vegas is largely expected to select Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman winner from Indiana. But the Raiders have a plan for him, and it involves learning from an NFL veteran. That veteran? Kirk Cousins.

The Raiders and Cousins agreed to a five-year deal worth up to $172 million. That sounds like an enormous contract, though it's unlikely Cousins will make all that money. Only $20 million is guaranteed—but it's still double what his salary would have been had he remained with the Atlanta Falcons.

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This makes 11 consecutive seasons that Cousins's entire salary has been guaranteed. No other NFL player has ever pulled off such a feat. Shout-out to his agent, Mike McCartney of Vayner Sports.

Even if Cousins only plays this season, it's still an excellent deal for him. He was coming off several impressive seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, and was in the midst of another good one when he tore his Achilles in October 2023. He wound up on the Atlanta Falcons and his performance dropped.

During the 2024 season, Cousins tied for the league lead in interceptions with 16, and in 2025, he was benched for Michael Penix Jr. midway through the year. Cousins finished last season with a 61.7% completion percentage, 1,721 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions, his worst numbers in over a decade.

Now, he gets a fresh start with the Raiders, and all indications are that he'll be under center when the regular season begins.

It's a win financially for the Raiders, too. Cousins is still guaranteed $10 million from Atlanta after he signed a four-year, $180 million contract in 2024 (he ultimately will make about $100 million from that deal). The Raiders will pay Cousins $1.3 million, the veteran minimum salary this season, so Atlanta is on the hook for the other $8.7 million. Cousins will then either get another $10 million next March if the team releases him, or the Raiders can keep him around with a two-year, $80 million option.

Cousins is already one of the highest earners in NFL history. He's made nearly $321.7 million throughout his career; per Spotrac, that's third-best among all players. While strong play in previous seasons has helped, his earnings are also thanks to creative deals like this that have treated him quite well.