Despite Boasting Record Revenue, NFL Outshone by NBA as Kirk Cousins Wishes to Be “Taken Care of for the Rest of My Life”

Kirk Cousins tried to give a reality check on the NFL. Although the NFL might be arguably taking over the NBA in terms of viewership and fan following, there are still some major things that the league needs to address.

The Pro Bowl quarterback recently signed a new contract with the Atlanta Falcons, making it his third team in the NFL. The contract is worth $180 million over four years, which sounds huge. However, he still isn’t that happy with the league’s contract structuring. Besides that, he has one other major concern, which he recently compared with the NBA league, in front of the former basketball player, Shaquille O’Neal.

Kirk Cousins worried about insurance?

In a recent episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, Kirk Cousins joined host Shaquille O’Neal and co-host Adam Lefkoe to bring his unfiltered thoughts on the two leagues–NFL and NBA. Cousins talked about the differences between the NFL and NBA regarding players’ benefits, specifically medical insurance after retirement. The quarterback mentioned that in the NBA, players who complete 10 years in the league receive lifetime medical benefits. However, Cousins pointed out that it’s a lot different in the NFL.

He said, “If you play 10 years in the NBA, Lifetime Medical for us. It’s basically no matter how long you play, you’ll get medical insurance for like five years after you’re done playing, then it’s over. And so obviously, a guy like me, who’s going into year 13, I would love for the NBA Dynamic where I know I’ve played long enough that when I retire insurance is taken care of for the rest of my life.”

In the 2022 season, the NFL made a record-breaking $11.9 billion in national revenue, which is money shared equally among all teams. This amount was 7% higher than the revenue generated in the previous year. Each of the NFL’s 32 teams received $372 million from various sources such as media rights, league sponsorships, merchandise sales, and licensing deals.

So, boasting such a record revenue, Cousins expressed his wish for the NFL to adopt a similar system to the NBA, where players can have their medical insurance covered for the rest of their lives after retirement, especially since he’s entering his 13th year in the league, and the players in the NFL “are giving everything they have.” Additionally, Cousins also has an issue with the contract structuring of the NFL, as he called all of it “fake money?”

No guarantee for the guaranteed money?

In the same podcast appearance, Kirk Cousins talked about the structure of the contracts in both the leagues. In basketball, contracts are guaranteed, meaning players get paid even if they are released. But in football, there are no guarantees, and contracts can have “fake numbers” due to restructuring and incentives, as per Cousins.

NFL players earn bonuses based on various factors, like workouts and performance, which means they might not get paid if they have a bad season. Cousins highlighted that even top-paid players feel the pressure to perform because their contracts are not secure. Kirk Cousins’ $180 million with Falcons includes only $100 million guaranteed, with bonuses tied to his performance and roster status.

Unlike the NBA, where contracts are fully guaranteed, NFL contracts often have clauses and conditions that affect players’ earnings, and Cousins is unhappy about it.

Read more: Shaquille O’Neal Almost Bought $4 Billion Atlanta Falcons but Backed Out Due to One Reason