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Kirk Cousins beats Tom Brady in elite list after lucrative Raiders contract
Kirk Cousins surpasses Tom Brady in NFL earnings, now third overall with $341 million.
A 37-year-old veteran quarterback who has never won a Super Bowl has now climbed to third place on the NFL’s all-time career earnings list - a remarkable reflection of how dramatically player salaries have grown in the league over the past decade.
Kirk Cousins beats Tom Brady
Kirk Cousins has officially surpassed seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady in total career earnings. According to Spotrac, Cousins has earned over $341 million in his 14-year NFL career, moving him ahead of Brady, who sits at approximately $333 million after 23 seasons.
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Cousins now ranks third on the all-time list, behind only Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford ($408.3 million) and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The latest boost to Cousins’ earnings comes from his new contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Cousins signed a five-year, $172 million deal with Las Vegas. In reality, the structure is heavily back-loaded: the Raiders are taking on a one-year, fully guaranteed $20 million contract for 2026 (with the Atlanta Falcons covering $8.7 million of that salary), along with a fully guaranteed $10 million roster bonus due in 2027.
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The Raiders signed Cousins despite holding the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and being widely expected to select standout quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who won both the Heisman Trophy and a national championship in his final college season. Raiders general manager John Spytek has publicly stated he does not want to throw a rookie quarterback into the fire immediately. Cousins, despite a noticeable decline in on-field performance in recent years, brings 14 years of starting experience across four teams and is seen as an ideal mentor for a young signal-caller.
While the financial numbers are eye-catching, the move is primarily about providing stability and veteran leadership as the Raiders look to develop their future franchise quarterback.
