How many QBs will make more money than Kirk Cousins in 2023?

Currently in the final year of his contract with the Minnesota Vikings, will Kirk Cousins still be among the highest-paid NFL quarterbacks next season?

During his tenure with the Minnesota Vikings, Kirk Cousins has been one of the highest-earning quarterbacks in the entire NFL.

Since signing with the Vikings in 2018, Cousins has raked in more than $180 million, an amount that easily ranks very high among quarterbacks around the league during the last five seasons.

For 2023, Cousins has a cap hit of $20.25 million, but he will actually be taking home $30 million in cash. Compared to all the other signal-callers around the NFL, where does Cousins‘ current cash payment for 2023 rank?

Is Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins still one of the highest-paid passers in the NFL in 2023?

Below is the current list of NFL quarterbacks with the highest cash payments in 2023. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac.com.

1. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) – $59.52 million
2. Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Browns) – $46 million
   • Daniel Jones (New York Giants) – $46 million
3. Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) – $40.45 million
4. Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals) – $39 million
5. Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) – $32.42 million*
6. Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys) – $31 million
7. Derek Carr (New Orleans Saints) – $30 million
   • Kirk Cousins (Minnesota Vikings) – $30 million
8. Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills) – $28 million
9. Russell Wilson (Denver Broncos) – $28 million
10. Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks) – $27.5 million
    • Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams) – $27.5 million
11. Ryan Tannehill (Tennessee Titans) – $27 million
12. Jared Goff (Detroit Lions) – $25.98 million
13. Jimmy Garoppolo (Las Vegas Raiders) – $24.25 million

*Tender amount for the exclusive-rights franchise tag.

So with less than a month until the 2023 NFL Draft gets underway, there are currently six quarterbacks in the league that will make more money than Cousins next season.

His ranking will likely drop further down the list as extensions are expected to be completed within the next few months for quarterbacks Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers, and Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles.

If these three extensions turn out to be as lucrative as most believe they will be, then Cousins’ ranking could potentially drop all the way down to 10th before the start of the 2023 season.