Buffalo Bills

Could Kirk Cousins become the NFL's highest-paid player?

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:40 p.m. ET

Fansided, Connor Muldowney/FanSided via Spartan Avenue

According to a former NFL agent, former Spartan quarterback Kirk Cousins could become the league’s highest-paid player this offseason.

Mark Dantonio has to love what he’s seeing from former Spartans who are currently in the NFL. First, he has Le’Veon Bell rushing for over 230 yards and totaling nearly 300 against the Buffalo Bills last week and now there’s Kirk Cousins potentially leading the Redskins to the playoff.

Must Read: MSU Football: Final report card for 2016 season

Cousins might be in third place in the NFC East right now with a 7-5-1 record, but he has done everything in his power to give the Redskins a chance to win each game.

In fact, in four out of five losses, and in the lone tie, Cousins has passed for over 300 yards, and he even surpassed 400 yards in two of those games — Dallas Cowboys (L) and Cincinnati Bengals (T).

According to Jamie Oakes of 247Sports, a former NFL agent turned CBS Sports analyst named Joel Corry thinks that Cousins will become the league’s highest-paid player this offseason.

“Kirk Cousins becoming the NFL’s highest-paid player in the offseason is a ridiculous notion to many, but it’s a realistic possibility,” said Corry.

He outlined the reasons why, starting with the current franchise tag that Cousins is playing on at the cost of $19.953 million.

“The Redskins had reservations about paying Cousins as an above-average starter, given his limited track record. Washington’s reported best offer was $16 million per year with $24 million in guarantees. Although it wouldn’t have been accepted, the Redskins weren’t willing to raise their offer to match the four-year, $72 million deal that Brock Osweiler received in free agency from the Houston Texans . Osweiler got $37 million fully guaranteed in the contract.”

Is it crazy to think that Cousins could become the NFL’s highest-paid player after just two full seasons as the starting quarterback? Absolutely, but if you look at what he’s done, it’s not so far-fetched.

Cousins led a perennial under-achiever in Washington to the playoffs in 2015 and is on the verge of potentially doing that once again in 2016. He’s third in the league in passing yards with 4,045 and the only Redskins quarterback to ever have back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons. He’s thrown 23 touchdowns and just nine picks this year as well.

Could Kirk Cousins become the NFL's highest-paid player?

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