Kirk Cousins was ble sed with the perfect amount of talent.

He's a good quarterback, but few will anoint him as being great. In his first four years as a full-time starter, Cousins finished each season within one game of a .500 record. He's one of two active quarterbacks with multiple ties in his career. The other is Andy Dalton.

He's been to Rob Gronkowski Youth Jersey the Pro Bowl twice and, believe it or not, has the second-highest career completionpercentage in NFL history. Sure, other quarterbacks have more talent than Cousins, but that's not the discu sion. Alec Ogletree Men Jersey

If anything, Cousins isgreat at being good, but not too good.And that's exactly how he became the highest-ranked NFL player on

Cousins collected $28 million from the Vikings in. He then signed a two year, $66 million this offseason with a $30million signing bonus due as soon as the ink dried on the contract. Adding in endorsements, Forbes estimates Cousins brought in $60.5 million in the last 12 months, the ninth-most of any athlete in the world,one slot behinda fella named Tiger Woods.

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He benefits in these rankings by e sentially getting paid for two seasons within Easton Stick Men Jersey the same 12-month period, but it's more than just a fluke. He ranks so highly as a result of succe sfully betting on Kwon Alexander Women Jersey himself. If you'll remember, Cousins took over for Robert Griffin IIIas the Redskins' starter in 2015, the final year of his rookie contract.

Cousins led Washington to an NFC East division title and a playoff berth in his first year as the full-time starter, whilealsoleadingthe league in completion percentage. The Redskins weren't ready to commit long term, so they placed the franchise tag on him. He made the Pro Bowl in 2016, but the sides still couldn't agree to a long-term deal, so the Redskins placed the franchise tag on him again, this time at 120 percent of his previous salary.

Finally, in 2017, Cousins' ability to be good, but not great, shined. The team mi sed the playoffs with a 7-9 record. After Hau'oli Kikaha Men Jersey three seasons, it was clear Cousins was good enough tohave succe s, but not good enough to elevate a team to greatne s without a talented supporting cast. A third consecutive franchise tag would have cost Washington more than $34 million for 2018and madeCousins the highest-paid player in the league. The Redskins declined and a29-year-old Cousins hit free agency for the first time.

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A legitimatestarting quarterback hitting the open market in recent memory is as common Mecole Hardman Youth Jersey asBen Simmons hitting a 3-pointer: it has happened twice. Peyton Manning went to the Broncos in 2012and Drew Brees went to the Saints in 2006, but both of those guys were coming off injuries. Cousins was healthy andrelatively young and had all the leverage in the world, which he used to his advantage.

In Reshad Jones Jersey 2018, he signed a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million contract with the Vikings, the first contract in NFL history.

In the NBA and MLB, you don't hear things like "a $90 million contract with $50 million guaranteed" because almost all of thosecontracts are fully guaranteed. The NBA is a star-driven league where the players have leverage. The NFL is different, with the exception of the quarterback,the most important position in all of sports. NFL teams need good Trevon Diggs Women Jersey quarterbacks to win (duh),so they'll do whatever they need to do to get them.

It was thought Cousins' contract couldpo sibly start a trend, but no other players have signed a fully guaranteed deal since. If Patrick Mahomes or Ru sell Wilsonor even Dak Prescott were to hit the open market, that would likelychange. But if an NFL team has a great quarterback, it'slikely to do whatever it can to lock them intoa long-term deal, and quarterbacks are likely to sign those deals thanks to the certainty andsecurity they provide. Cousins had to risk playing in a contract year for three Donovan Peoples-Jones Men Jersey consecutive seasons, but he was rewarded.

In Washington, Cousins fell just shy of the thresholdthat made him impo sible to lose for the Redskins. It turns out Cousins' incredible ability to be a good-but Darius Slay Women Jersey -not-greatquarterback might be areason he's thehighest-compensated player in the NFL. If people out there are aiming to be great, then here's a reminder that being good is OK, too. You might evenend up as the ninth highest-paid athlete in the world.