Kirk Cousins is set to earn $7million per game for his spell with the Atlanta Falcons.
The quarterback arrived over the offseason on a massive contract with $100million in guarantees.
But the Falcons raised a few eyebrows by drafting Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick instead of bolstering a leaky defense or strengthening Cousins’ supporting cast.
Just 14 games later, Atlanta bosses are handing over the keys to the 24-year-old rookie in Sunday’s clash against the New York Giants.
Cousins is expected to be cut before a $10million roster bonus is due on March 17 with the signal-caller unlikely to do the team any favors and waive his no-trade clause after being stunned by Penix Jr.’s arrival.
The former Minnesota Vikings star has almost $300million in career earnings as he heads into free agency for the second time in 12 months.
With just one postseason win to his name, former NFL superstar Shannon Sharpe thinks Cousins’ agent should have usurped Donald Trump on the cover of Time Magazine.
“There’s only one quarterback that I’m paying $100 million and that’s Patrick Mahomes. If he ain’t getting $100 million, I damn sure ain’t giving Kirk Cousins $100 million,” he told Nightcap co-host Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson.
“Why can’t no team make a mistake on me like that. Give me 12million, give me 14million and send me on my damn way.
“I said this on first day they got president Trump as Time Person of the Year, that’s Kirk Cousins’ agent. Kirk Cousins’ agent should be Time Magazine Person of the Year.
“He got the franchise tag twice. And then he goes to Minnesota. Ocho, they fully guaranteed the contract for the first time in NFL history.
“And guess what they did. He plays so well. Cause you know, Kirk can light you up. You don’t win nothing, but you can go light up.
“They fully guaranteed the next contract. So you think about this. Franchise tag, fully guaranteed. Franchise tag, fully guaranteed. He got three years, fully guaranteed. He got another three years, fully guaranteed.
“Cousins got eight years of fully guaranteed money.”
Ochocinco thinks another man deserves credit for Cousins’ earning potential.
“One thing about Kirk, he’s a child of God. And one thing about it, your cup will runneth over if you continue to put that man at the forefront.
“So regardless of how his play has been, whether it’s stellar or whether it’s been bad, the most high has always had his back.”
Penix Jr.’s long stay in college and injury record put off a lot of teams.
But NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah thinks he could be the best quarterback in the class of ’24 despite top picks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels getting the hype.
“If you told me that in the rookie season Michael Penix would be as good as anybody in this draft class, just off pure ability and his ability to throw the football, I wouldn’t be shocked by that because he can really, really deliver the ball,” he exclusively told talkSPORT in April.
“I think with him it’s the durability more so than anything else,” Jeremiah aded. “He’s been able to stay healthy the last few years, which is great to see.
“But you’ve got a situation where he’s had a couple shoulder injuries, he’s had a couple knee injuries, he’s a little bit older. You kind of factor all those things into his evaluation, which to me is why he slides in behind some of those guys.
“I think he’s really talented. He’s got a big arm, a live arm.”
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