Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins isn’t the chosen one of the organization, which is working against the front office.
Kirk Cousins realized the moment former Washington Redskins quarterback (and favorite) Robert Griffin III walked out the door, he was going to get a certain look from many within the organization.
Cousins surely expected a particular look, one where people smile at, but all while knowing that he wasn’t the chosen one by the organization. Despite getting a fair chance to play well and excelling in that opportunity, those are the type of looks that don’t go away easily.
As has been the case for so long, the problem is not Cousins — it’s the Redskins. ESPN’s John Keim reported the Cousins camp shares similar feelings:
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"Cousins’ side believed that if former Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III had posted similar numbers, the Redskins wouldn’t have hesitated to give him a big contract. And they wondered if Cousins was still viewed as a fourth-round pick (which he was in 2012)."
It’s obvious that the Redskins have never excited about Cousins. They’re glad he’s doing well, but you don’t see the excitement. That’s because you won’t find Cousins all over TV promoting his brand or other brands. If popular culture catches up with Cousins, it’s because the 2017 season ended with a Super Bowl ring or an NFC Championship — or maybe another viral video on the way to the locker room.
Cousins is what I call a “hero via circumstance”, responding at a time when the Redskins watched their chosen hero, RG3, slowly crash and burn. In the midst of said crashing and burning and the subsequent quarterback controversies Cousins didn’t take the bait. His phrase was, “It’s Robert’s team”. It wasn’t until later we heard head coach Jay Gruden confirm that it was, actually in fact, Cousins’ team.
That’s where the confirmation ended. Further up the food chain in the Washington front office, all of the comments have been non-commital and avoiding flattery. If the Redskins really wanted him, they would have signed him to a long-term deal by now.
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Instead, it’ll all be circumstantial with any potential new contract. The Redskins will wait until the last minute if a deal is possible, until they feel they have to do something. Remember, this is Washington, a place that has no shame in starting from scratch with a new person if it benefits them, especially if they’re excited about that person.