Kirk Cousins' 1-3 Playoff Record Is Still Haunting The League, And It's About To Hit The Raiders Hard

Y'all, we're deep into the regular season grind already, and while our Hawks are getting after it, you gotta look around the league sometimes and just wonder what in the heck is going on with some of these massive contracts. I'm talking about guys who get paid like superstars but deliver... well, something else entirely. The hype train for some players just never stops, even when the results scream a different story. And trust me, it's a story that makes you grateful for the grit we see here in the Emerald City.

Kirk Cousins: The Regular Season Hero Who Vanishes in January

Okay, let's talk Kirk Cousins. The dude can put up some insane regular season stats, right? You see those numbers, and you think, "He's gotta be elite." But then you look at his playoff record as a starter: a brutal 1-3. Seriously? His only postseason glory came back in the 2019-20 season, when his Minnesota Vikings squeaked past the New Orleans Saints 26-20 in overtime during the Wildcard Round. What happened next? They got absolutely thumped by the San Francisco 49ers 27-10 in the Divisional Round. That's the whole story, folks.

He's been called inconsistent in primetime games, and he flat out fails to deliver when it counts. We saw it with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024, where he was 7-7 as a starter, throwing 18 touchdowns against 16 interceptions. Not exactly inspiring for a guy getting big money, is it? And now? The Las Vegas Raiders just handed him a massive five-year, $172 million deal with $20 million guaranteed. He's expected to be their 2026 starter, while their first-round pick, Fernando Mendoza, warms the bench. Are the Raiders truly ready for that familiar feeling of disappointment? It sure feels like history is about to repeat.

Amari Cooper: The Disappearing Act Who Kept Getting Paid

Then there's Amari Cooper. For years, he was hyped as a WR1, first with the Oakland Raiders, then the Dallas Cowboys. He made five Pro Bowls, which sounds great on paper, but he never really dominated the passing game consistently. How many consistent 1,000-yard seasons did he actually stack up? Not many. This was a guy notorious for dropping passes and just plain disappearing when the game was on the line, in those crucial moments.

Teams kept overvaluing him in trades, always hoping he'd be that alpha receiver, but the question always lingered: was he truly top-tier? Even when he hit free agency, the 'overrated' label stuck to him. His name, honestly, just exceeded his actual performance value. By his final season, playing for both the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills, he was a total shell of his former self. He only managed 44 receptions for 547 yards and four touchdowns across both teams. Cooper retired on September 4, 2025, after 10 seasons, leaving a legacy of 'what if' instead of consistent greatness. Makes you appreciate the players who show up every single down, doesn't it?

So yeah, while these guys were making bank, the rest of us were watching the same old story unfold. It's a stark reminder that stats don't always tell the whole story, and sometimes, the biggest names come with the biggest question marks. Thankfully, we got our own battles to fight. Our Mariners are hitting their stride in this early part of the season, and every game at T-Mobile Park feels like a step towards something big. And for our Seahawks, we're watching closely as the new era with Coach Macdonald and OC Fleury takes shape. We're seeing Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Rashid Shaheed build that chemistry, ready to prove their worth. We expect our guys to deliver, and we won't settle for anything less than that genuine, consistent fight. Go Hawks, Go M's, Go Kraken, Go Sounders!

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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.