April Fool\u2019s Day was yesterday, right?<\/p>\n
Apparently not.<\/p>\n
Kirk Cousins and his agent, Mike McCartney, have successfully fleeced another NFL organization. It wasn\u2019t the New York Jets, to the delight of the green-and-white faithful, but his new contract still has implications for the franchise based in Florham Park.<\/p>\n
Per ESPN\u2019s Adam Schefter, Cousins is signing with the Las Vegas Raiders on a five-year, $172 million deal. Based on its structure, it is actually a one-year, fully-guaranteed $20 million deal with a club option for two years at $80 million.<\/p>\n
The Raiders will pay Cousins $1.3 million this season, plus a fully-guaranteed $10 million roster bonus on the third day of the 2027 league year. Cousins\u2019 former team, the Atlanta Falcons, will pay Cousins $8.7 million this season.<\/p>\n
Comp update: Kirk Cousins will sign a five-year, $172 million deal with the Raiders that in reality is a one-year, fully-guaranteed $20 million deal that also contains a club option for two years at $80M.<\/p>\n
The Falcons will pay Cousins $8.7 million this season, the Raiders another\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/MHYqOOfBs7<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n It marks the 11th straight year that Cousins will have a fully guaranteed salary.<\/p>\n So, what does this mean for the Jets?<\/p>\n Well, it means they made the right move on the veteran quarterback market this offseason.<\/p>\n The Jets nabbed Geno Smith<\/a> as their veteran, bridge starter for just one year and $3.3 million. It\u2019s a substantial bargain compared to Cousins, despite the fact that they\u2019re similar players at this stage of their careers.<\/p>\n Here is a comparison of Smith and Cousins\u2019 numbers over the past two seasons (2024-25):<\/p>\n Geno Smith: 32 games, 69.1% completion rate, 7,345 yards (229.5\/G, 7.2\/attempt), 40 TD, 32 INT, 89.5 passer rating, 381 rush yards, 2 rush TD, 13 fumbles (1 lost)<\/p>\n Kirk Cousins: 24 games, 65.0% completion rate, 5,229 yards (217.9\/G, 7.2\/attempt), 28 TD, 21 INT, 87.2 passer rating, 7 rush yards, 1 rush TD, 16 fumbles (3 lost)<\/p>\n Smith is 35 years old. Cousins is two years older and has clearly not been the same player since his Achilles injury with the Vikings in 2023.<\/p>\n Yet, despite posting similar numbers over the past two years, Smith is making a fraction of Cousins\u2019 salary<\/a>.<\/p>\n For a Jets team that didn\u2019t have much of a choice but to settle for a bridge starter in the veteran quarterback market this season, they made the right move by opting for an affordable option in Smith instead of chasing a bigger name like Cousins. They are poised to get much better bang for their buck than the Raiders.<\/p>\n