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Kirk Cousins contract: Redskins have two choices, and they don't make sense
The Kirk Cousins Contract situation is all the buzz. Everyone is shrugging their shoulders.
In a recent interview on ESPN 980, Redskins President Bruce Allen played off reports. To him, this isn’t that big of a deal. Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post reported he said, “… I don’t think it’s as complicated as everyone wants to make it. And we’ll get together with his agent, and I’m sure we’ll come to an agreement…” Meanwhile on the other side, Cousins is letting his agent do the talking, remaining optimistic on any opportunities.
“No, I think my agent talked to them at the Senior Bowl maybe, or one of the different events going on right now,” Cousins said to Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier in an interview before Super Bowl LI. “But no, there really hasn’t been a whole lot.”
When the smoke clears from the UFA season, the Redskins will position themselves as a threat or a laughing stock of the NFC East. So Redskins fans and non-Redskins fans wait to see what happens. But what if this goes South? There are very few alternatives. None of them make sense.
Dec 19, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) leaves the locker room prior to the game against the Carolina Panthers at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
If a Kirk Cousins contract isn’t an option, there is always the opportunity to franchise him…again.
I’ve always felt this is a smack in the face. It’s saying, “We just need you to stand by until we find the right guy, but you’re not that guy.” In addition, if the Redskins do decide to go that route, that will cost them. This past season’s franchise tag cost the Redskins $19,953,000. That’s 12th highest of 76 QB contracts, according to Over The Cap.
This year, if Cousins wants to push the envelope a little, he can either leave the tag unsigned, and wait until the July 15th deadline. At least this would let the front office know that they’ve got to get serious about a long-term deal. Scare tactic? Yes. Do they deserve it? At this point – yes.
The second franchise tag would give Cousins close to $40 million in two years. The tag would be slightly under $24 million. If you look at long-term deal with that number, that could be a nice four-year deal. SportTrac has their numbers at $21,809,405 for four years with a deal worth around $87 million. To keep the competition away, they should probably boost this to $90 million. But hey, if the Redskins don’t want to break out the calculators and see they’re about to pay a guy half of an NFL contract, who am I to judge? It’ll simply show their lack of trust and will probably scare off seasoned quarterbacks.
Oct 4, 2015; London, ENG; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) looks for a pass during the first half of the game against the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Flynn-USA TODAY Sports
Looking at the options in Free Agency, you want a Kirk Cousins contract to happen.
There’s New York Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who doesn’t come close to Cousins. Last season he threw for 2,710 yards and had a passer rating of 69.7. This is a far cry from Cousins, who had a 97.2 passer rating for the 2016 season. Fitzpatrick enters the free agency worth $12 million, No.2 in worth among the UFA QBs.
And then there’s L.A. Rams QB Case Keenum. This would be so ironic: All the former Redskins staff that made the exodus West, their quarterback would come East. He ranks third on worth, a little over $3 million. His QBR? 76.4, throwing 2,201 yards last season. One would be Donovan McNabb 2.0, the other – a work in progress. Cousins finished a Top Ten QB. It would be a foolish decision to go down a level. Cousins has earned a contract. Getting a QB from the league that doesn’t match or surpass Cousins doesn’t make sense. I would go even further to say that decision would put head coach Jay Gruden’s future with the team in jeopardy. This is one mistake that can be avoided.
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