Under Maintenance
We deeply apologize for interrupting your reading but Vendetta is currently undergoing some important maintenance! You may experience some layout shifts, slow loading times and dififculties in navigating.
Sports Media
The annual anonymous NBA player survey from The Athletic was published Monday (subscription required). The objective is to get several players’ answers on myriad topics–from who they think is the NBA’s best defender to which player they would want to fight the least–anonymously.
According to the publication, 142 total players responded to this year’s poll (the most ever), though not every player answered every one of the 16 questions posed. One of the questions posed was which non-NBA athlete was the player’s favorite.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson won the poll, garnering 15 of the 115 total votes (13.0 percent). Other who received votes were Caitlin Clark, Novak Djokovic, Usain Bolt, Patrick Mahomes and Mike Tyson.
One individual chose newly-acquired Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, and the reasoning behind it was pitch perfect. Here’s the excerpt:
“When an NBA player named Cousins as his favorite current non-NBA athlete, the response elicited a dumbfounded ‘Why?’ from one writer from The Athletic.
The NBA player said: ‘Kirk Cousins because he gets paid and doesn’t have to win or don’t have to do anything and made $400 million off of one playoff win. Legend.’
Golden response.
Cousins, 35, recently pocketed $180 million (over four years; $100 million guaranteed) from the Atlanta Falcons mere months after suffering a season-ending Achilles injury, when he was still with the Minnesota Vikings.
For perspective, that is the ninth-biggest contract in the NFL with the 12-highest guarantee for a quarterback, per Spotrac. Again, Cousins, who’s not the fleetest of foot, is 35-years-old coming off a serious lower-body injury. It’s further proof that the 11-year veteran signal-caller has never left a single cent off the table.
According to Spotrac, the 11-year veteran has made $231.7 million over his career, the fourth-most among active quarterbacks and 11th-most all-time. When it’s all said and done, his $331 million career earnings (factoring in $100 million guaranteed) would place No. 7 on that all-time list ($1.3 million behind Tom Brady); if he earns all $180 million, he would be fourth all-time behind only Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers.
All of those aforementioned names have won at least one Super Bowl. Cousins, a polarizing quarterback in the NFL community, does have just one playoff win–to the anonymous player’s point. The four-time pro bowler has completed 66.9 percent of his attempts and thrown for 39,471 yards, 270 touchdowns and 110 interceptions.
He’s had a phenomenal career, and should not be judged whether or not he won a Super Bowl. But it’s hard to deny how successful he’s been at pocketing every last cent throughout his career … which he should never be docked for.
Of course, we won’t know who that NBA player is … but he should also be considered a legend for that legendary response.
***
Click Here for more NBA Content
Subscribe to Vendetta’s Twitch
Subscribe to Vendetta’s YouTube
Check out the Vendetta Shop
Puka Nacua is skeptical of 49ers’ window if they extend Brock Purdy The San Francisco 49ers hit the reset button…
2024-25 Western Conference First-Round Preview: No. 7 Golden State Warriors v. No. 2 Houston Rockets The 2024-25 NBA postseason is…
Jabbar Muhammad 2025 NFL Draft Profile We’re getting deep into the cornerback class with the 2025 NFL Draft profile series.…
2024-25 Eastern Conference First-Round Preview: No. 8 Miami Heat v. No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers The 2024-25 NBA playoffs are officially!…