Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has been widely criticized during his five seasons with the team. He has been called overpaid, overrated and everything under the sun.
Going into free agency, Cousins was due $30 million and had a salary cap hit of $36.25 million before the Vikings ended up restructuring his contract. His cap hit in 2023 is now $20.25 million, which feels like a steal.
When you compare the average annual value of Cousins’ contract versus the rest of the league, it paints an interesting picture.
All contract numbers can be found on overthecap.com
1. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Average per year: $52.5 million
2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Average per year: $52 million
3. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Average per year: $51 million
4. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
Average per year: $50.272 million
5. Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
Average per year: $49 million
6. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Average per year: $46.1 million
7. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Average per year: $46 million
8. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Average per year: $45 million
9. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Average per year: $43 million
10. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Average per year: $40 million
11. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Average per year: $40 million
12. Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Average per year: $40 million
13. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
Average per year: $37.5 million
14. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Average per year: $35 million
15. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Average per year: $33.5 million
16. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Average per year: $29.5 million
17. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
Average per year: $25 million
18. Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas Raiders
