NFL Free Agency 2018: Vikings to make Kirk Cousins NFL’s new highest paid player... and it’s fully guaranteed

Nobody has played the NFL salary game better than Kirk Cousins. After playing two seasons under the franchise tag in Washington, earning around $44 million, he will sign a 3-year, $84 million deal with the Vikings. And that deal will be fully guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The $28 million per season makes him the new highest paid player in NFL history, surpassing Jimmy Garoppolo ($27.5) who surpassed Matt Stafford ($27) who surpassed Derek Carr who was the NFL’s first ever $25 million man when he signed his deal in the 2017 offseason.

But none of them got near $84 million guaranteed on their deals. For some perspective:

Their overall deals were for more than the three years Cousins received, but that just means he can hit the market again at the age of 32 and get another big deal with more guaranteed money.

Methinks Cousins and his agent may have started something where we see a lot more guaranteed money in contracts. Honestly, that’s how it should be anyway.

A side note about this move is Cousins goes to a team that is picking way outside the top ten in the draft, so that still leaves open the possibility that 4-5 QB’s are taken ahead of the Raiders at 10th overall which is great news for them. Not to mention Cousins isn’t coming to the AFC West. You like that?