Once again, Kirk Cousins won the checkbook Super Bowl. And once again, the victory will ripple across the NFL and into a multitude of different franchises, impacting the landscape of contract extensions, trades and the forthcoming draft.
The subtext of Cousins’ four-year, $180 million pact with the Atlanta Falcons, includes $100 million in hard guarantees that will boost his earnings to at least $321 million over the course of his career. It’s another win in a long line of victories for the quarterback and his agent, Mike McCartney of VaynerSports, who have carved out a staggering string of 11 consecutive years of fully guaranteed salary.