With seven Super Bowl rings and more than 20 NFL seasons under his belt, Tom Brady felt satisfied enough to call it a career last year. Now, the retired quarterback is watching other signal-callers try to emulate what he’s achieved in the league.
While some of their records will be hard to match, Brady is already being surpassed on other categories such as career earnings. As CBS Sports notes, Kirk Cousins is set to make more than Tom thanks to his recent deal with the Falcons.
The veteran quarterback agreed on a four-year, $180 million contract with Atlanta that includes $100m guaranteed. This part of the deal means Cousins will reach at least $331.5 million in career earnings, surpassing the $317.6 million Brady cashed in with the Patriots and Buccaneers.
Breaking down Brady and Cousins’ career earnings
TB12 gave New England a discount in his two decades with the team, which allowed the franchise to build competitive teams around him. When he left Foxborough in 2020, Brady landed a two-year, $50m deal with the Bucs.
Kirk Cousins in action for the Vikings.
It’s been quite a ride for Cousins to get this kind of money in his pockets. The former fourth-round pick fought hard to make a name for himself in Washington, where he bagged $46.7 million before exploring his options in the 2018 free agency.
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That year, Cousins built on the reputation he had forged in the capital city to get a three-year, fully guaranteed $84 million deal with the Vikings. The team eventually tied him down to contract extensions twice, with Cousins making $101 million for both deals.
At 35, the Michigan State product has landed yet another lucrative deal, and this time Atlanta handed him a $50 million signing bonus. That increases Cousins’ career earnings to $281.5 million, but that number will be higher when he gets the other $50m from guaranteed money.
NFL leaders in career earnings
- Aaron Rodgers: $343.5 million
- Matthew Stafford: $328 million
- Tom Brady: $317.6 million
- Matt Ryan: $306.2 million
- Kirk Cousins: $281.5 million
Since both Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford are still active, Cousins is projected to stay behind them in career earnings even when he cashes in his fully guaranteed money.
Cousins’ career earnings would be $411.5 million by the end of his current deal, whereas Stafford and Rodgers are projected to make $422 million and $419.2 million, respectively. Of course, let’s keep in mind this doesn’t include earnings from endorsement deals.
