Is Kirk Worth 'Mahomes Money'? Falcons Sign QB Cousins; Contract Details in NFL Free Agency

Is Kirk Worth 'Mahomes Money'? Atlanta Falcons Sign Quarterback Cousins; Contract Details in NFL Free Agency

Is Kirk Cousins worth $180 million? As the ink gets ready to dry on the Atlanta Falcons signing of the veteran quarterback Cousins, stolen away from Minnesota via NFL free agency on Monday, there is now only one way left to find out ...

Hand "Captain Kirk" the keys.

Cousins, 35, lands a four-year deal to join the NFC South contender - and, if this works out, maybe the Falcons are a contender to succeed in the postseason.

ClutchPoints

The contract will be four years, $180 million ($45 million per average per year). But there are deeper details. He gets a $50 million signing bonus, and there are other guarantees that in total pay him $100 million no matter what.

Oh, and a Falcons Super Bowl win, just in case? NFL Network notes that such an accomplishment will pay Kirk another $2 million.

Cousins, who will be joining a Falcons squad that features offensive weapons like running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts - all of whom are previous first-round picks - will get $90 mil guaranteed in 2024 and ‘25, plus another $10 million guaranteed in 2026.

So he's going to be here awhile. And he's going to get paid, in a sense, like Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl stud Patrick Mahomes. How so? There are a few guys above $50 million APY, like the Ravens' Lamar Jackson with his $52 million APY.

But Cousins at $45 million APY is now tied with Mahomes for the seventh-largest contract among QBs.

Kyle Pitts Teases Number Change After Kirk Cousins Signing

Cousins is coming off a 2023 season that ended early due to an Achilles injury, but there seem to be no concerns there. And he puts up numbers, as he ranks fifth in passing yards (39,471) and fourth in passing touchdowns (270) among current QBs. 

And now all he needs to do? Be better than Taylor Heinicke and Desmond Riddler era. Maybe be as good as Matt Ryan. Maybe even be as good as Patrick Mahomes.