The National Football League is quarterback-centric. There's no arguing that.
This is why the position is the highest-paid. This is the same reason why Kirk Cousins climbed to the Top 6 All-Time highest-paid QBs.
Cousins was in 11th place on the list of highest-paid quarterbacks ever with $231 million total in 2023, according to Spotrac.
Kirk Cousins' career earnings rose to the Top 5 this month after he signed a 4-year $180 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons, $100 million guaranteed.
Spotrac wrote:
"In 2024, Cousins will earn a base salary of $12,500,000 and a signing bonus of $50,000,000, while carrying a cap hit of $25,000,000 and a dead cap value of $90,000,000."
This means he now has a total of $219 million.
There are a lot of interesting things about the deal the 35-year-old signed.
One is that he is coming off a season-ending injury he incurred while still with his former team, the Minnesota Vikings.
However, the two camps are confident he would be ready for the new season.
"I'm optimistic that I can be full speed at practice before we break for the summer," Cousins told reporters on Wednesday.
"That's kind of the goal I've set for myself."
Read more: Are Bryce Young and the Panthers Primed for a Bounce Back Year After Trading for Diontae Johnson?
Another interesting aspect of Cousins' deal is that he entered the Top 5 and is on the same level as Aaron Rodgers (Top 1 with $380 million), Tom Brady, Matthew Stafford, and Russell Wilson without a Super Bowl to his name.
The closest he got to the coveted trophy was in 2019, when he won two playoff games with the Vikings.
Overall, he's only had one playoff victory.
Is he really worth that amount? Well, the league is quarterback-centric.
Also, it is not like the Falcons are the only ones who broke the bank for a QB who was forever chasing the Super Bowl.
They contributed so much to the earnings of the man whose name Cousins is trailing on the list-Matt Ryan.
Matt Ryan (16 seasons - $303 million)
Ryan played all 16 of his seasons, but one with the Falcons. In that span, he earned $303 million, ranking him among the Top five highest-paid QBS as of 2024.
He was a very productive play-caller for the Falcons, keeping them among the elite teams during his tenure.
He and the Falcons reached the 2016 Super Bowl only to lose to Bill Belichick's New England Patriots.
He is also among the best individually in the NFL. He won the 2016 season MVP and Offensive Player of the Year and was cited four times for the Pro Bowl.
Philip Rivers (17 seasons - $243 million)
Rivers is another legendary quarterback who did not win a Super Bowl. He played 16 of his 17 seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers before moving on to the Indianapolis Colts in 2020.
He never set foot on a Super Bowl Stadium. His highest finish was the AFC Championship in 2017 when the team lost against the Patriots again.
Alex Smith (16 seasons - $189 million)
His Kansas City coaches described Alex Smith as "super intelligent" and got everything to become a great quarterback.
He was resilient, too, winning the NFL 2013 Comeback Player of the Year.
What he was not, though, was "lucky" as he only won two postseason games-one each as part of the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Carson Palmer (15 seasons - $174 million)
The former Cincinnati Bengals probably has the shortest CV on this list.
He won in the playoffs just once and played only four games postseason.
Palmer was a reliable quarterback for the Bengals and the Arizona Cardinals, with whom he spent most of his career.
His biggest contract came in 2005 when he signed a nine-year $118.75 million extension with the Bengals.
The biggest problem he had during his professional years was injuries.
Related article: Does Kirk Cousins Instantly Make the Falcons NFC Championship Favorites?
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