Cousins, Stafford Lead Veteran QB Resurgence as Falcons, Rams Reap Returns on Nine-Figure Bets
Both quarterbacks on nine-figure contracts rank top-five in passing yards through Week 6
ATLANTA — The NFL’s passing yardage leaderboard through six weeks reads like a testament to front-office patience with aging quarterbacks. Matthew Stafford sits first with 1,877 yards. Kirk Cousins, three months shy of 39, ranks fifth at 1,544.
Both quarterbacks changed teams on contracts worth nine figures. Both were written off by segments of the analytics community as declining assets. Both are currently outperforming the league’s young starters on a per-game basis.
Cousins threw for 332 yards against Buffalo’s third-ranked pass defense Sunday, his second 300-yard game in three weeks. The Falcons signed him to a four-year, $180 million deal in March with $90 million guaranteed — a structure that drew immediate criticism for its commitment to a quarterback coming off Achilles surgery at age 36.
Stafford’s path differed. The Rams acquired him in 2021 for two first-round picks and a third, then extended him through 2026 at $40 million annually. He won a Super Bowl in Year 1, missed nine games with a spinal cord contusion in Year 2, and entered 2024 with questions about his long-term viability.
Through Sunday, Cousins leads the NFL with 14 touchdown passes, tied with Brock Purdy and Trevor Lawrence. Stafford has 11, tied for 11th. But Stafford’s yardage total leads the league by 89 yards over Joe Burrow.
The two quarterbacks face each other Sunday at SoFi Stadium. The Rams enter 1-4 after Stafford threw for 324 yards in a loss to Green Bay. The Falcons sit 3-3 after Cousins’ performance against Buffalo kept them atop the NFC South.
Historical context complicates the narrative. Since 2000, only six quarterbacks age 38 or older have finished a season in the top five in passing yards: Tom Brady (four times), Drew Brees (three), Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Warren Moon, and Vinny Testaverde. Cousins would become the seventh.
Stafford, 36, seeks to join Brady and Brees as the only quarterbacks with multiple top-five yardage finishes after age 35.
The Falcons’ next three games: at Seattle, vs. Tampa Bay, at New Orleans. The Rams face Minnesota, at Miami, vs. New England. Both schedules feature defenses currently ranked in the bottom half of EPA allowed per dropback.
