Cousins 'not going to apologize' for financial success

If the NFL had a Hall of Fame for landing big-money contracts, Kirk Cousins would be a first-ballot inductee.

Fresh off signing a four-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons worth a reported $180 million, Cousins shrugged off the notion that people first think of his monetary success over his on-field play.

"I'm not going to apologize for the fact that it's been a great blessing financially for my family," he said on "The Steam Room" podcast. "But in my years in Atlanta, I certainly want it to be about (how I) won a Super Bowl and (how I) won a lot, and that becomes the last piece of my football career."

Cousins added that money has never been the "driving force" of his NFL career, which began with the Washington Commanders (2012-17) and continued with the Minnesota Vikings (2018-2023) before his blockbuster free-agent jump to Atlanta.

The veteran passer will have earned around $411 million if he completes his four-year pact with the Falcons, according to Over The Cap.

Washington used the franchise tag on Cousins in 2016 and 2017, but the two sides ultimately failed to agree to a long-term deal and the quarterback became a free agent.

With a quarterback of his caliber and age rarely hitting free agency, Cousins was able to demand the NFL's first-ever fully guaranteed contract - a three-year, $84-million deal - from Minnesota. He later signed two extensions with the Vikings, both also fully guaranteed.

Cousins is coming off a torn Achilles that he suffered in Week 8 but is expected to be ready for training camp.