Washington Redskins: Signing Kirk Cousins to Long-Term Deal an Easy Choice
The Washington Redskins face some critical decisions in 2017. The biggest, of course, is what to do with quarterback Kirk Cousins.
To outsiders, the question of what the Washington Redskins should do with Kirk Cousins has a fairly easy answer. Cousins has put up back-to-back record-breaking seasons in charge of head coach Jay Gruden’s exciting offense. After breaking numerous team records during his first full season as starter in 2015, Cousins broke his own records in 2016.
This seems like a no-brainer, right? Well, with the Redskins everything is always a little more complicated.
First off, where does general manager Scot McCloughan stand on Cousins? Remember, after the win over Green Bay in November, it was McCloughan who Cousins went up to after the game and gave him a not-so-gentle and somewhat dismissive head rub, while asking the GM, “How you like me now?”
McCloughan, of course, likes Cousins, but does he like him enough to pay him $24 million per year? That leads us to another complicated layer, which is the notion that the ultimate decision might not even be up to McCloughan.
According to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, it’s Bruce Allen that truly calls the shots in Washington. While McCloughan is the general manager in title, he’s essentially a chief scout. He reports to Allen, who reports to owner Dan Snyder. So, even if McCloughan and Gruden wanted to wrap-up this Cousins situation, Allen ultimately stands in the way.
Even still, there is only one way to proceed in this scenario. Again, the answer is a simple one: by going to the negotiating table with Cousins and his agent, Mike McCartney, and working on a long-term deal.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
The franchise tag should not be in consideration unless it is used to give the team and the quarterback more time to hammer out a deal that will be beneficial to both sides. Yes, Cousins still has issues. He seems skittish in the pocket at times and his mechanics can often fall apart during the middle of the game. But, overall, he is a solid quarterback.
He’s grown significantly in the past two years and is truly a student of the game. He’s well-respected within the locker room and Gruden believes in him. That’s important. Having a head coach-quarterback combination that’s on the same page is generally found in winning organizations. While no one will confuse Washington with New England, the Redskins did post back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1996 and 1997 with Cousins under center. That’s significant progress for an organization that’s in perpetual turmoil.
And if you are prepared to let Cousins go, who are you going to replace him with? Functional quarterbacks are very rare. And we aren’t even talking about the elite ones. Cousins is a good, functional passer that you can win with. Most teams would love to be in Washington’s situation.
Since the end of the regular season after a humiliating home loss to the Giants that cost the Redskins a playoff spot, they’ve lost their bright, young offensive coordinator in Sean McVay, fired their defensive coordinator and lost out on their top choices to replace the fired Joe Barry.
In addition to all of that, the Redskins have yet to approach both star wide receivers—DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon—about returning to Washington, per Brian McNally of CBS DC.
Regardless of how some fans feel about Cousins and his ceiling, he remains the best option for the Redskins moving forward. Now, it’s time to pay up.
Next: 2017 NFL Draft: One Mistake Each Team Must Avoid
No, Cousins isn’t Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers or Ben Roethlisberger—but he’s good. He’s definitely a top-15 passer, perhaps even a top-10 quarterback. In the world we live in now, that’s pretty valuable. You will not win (or even make it to) the Super Bowl with pedestrian quarterback play, Trent Dilfer being the obvious outlier.
The Redskins have someone they’ve developed and it would be wise keep him in the building. A bounty of draft picks wouldn’t guarantee a competent starting quarterback. And have you seen the free-agent class outside of Cousins? It’s about time the Washington Redskins rewarded their own and made a strong, sensible decision. Signing Kirk Cousins to a long-term deal is that move.