The Washington Redskins have agreed to a trade that will net them Alex Smith, meaning Kirk Cousins is surely gone. They put themselves in this spot.
What decision will the Washington Redskins make regarding Kirk Cousins? Would Cousins spurn them to sign elsewhere? Could the Redskins use another franchise tag or the transition tag on him? These were all of the questions surrounding our nation’s capital heading into the 2018 offseason. However, before Super Bowl LII has even kicked off, those questions have already been cleared up: He gone.
On Tuesday night, the Redskins landed Alex Smith in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, as first reported by Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star. That alone is enough to let everyone know that Cousins is gone from Washington. But just in case that wasn’t apparent enough, ESPN’s Adam Schefter then broke the news that the Skins and Smith have already agreed on a four-year extension.
There’s no denying that Alex Smith has been successful in the NFL to this point, particularly with Andy Reid and the Chiefs. In fact, this past season may have been his best work yet. Though he tailed off at the end of the season, there was talk early in the year that he might be doing enough to remain the guy in Kansas City. Apparently that wasn’t the belief inside Arrowhead Stadium, though.
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With the uncertainty surrounding Cousins, landing a player like Smith is certainly a wise decision. Despite the fact that the newest Redskin will be 34 years old at the start of the 2018 season, he’s a proven veteran player that can step in and lead the offense immediately. Thus, this was a move that they had to make — except that they forced themselves into the position to make such a trade.
No matter if you think Cousins is elite or mediocre, there are some inescapable truths. First, he’s younger than Smith. The Michigan State product also plays a completely different style than Smith, meaning that changes could be coming to the Washington offense. And, of course, there is more upside in your offense with Cousins — both in terms of age and on a game-to-game basis — than with Smith.
Had the Redskins simply locked up Cousins to a long-term deal in previous offseasons when they had the opportunity to do so, they wouldn’t have to give up valuable (and needed) draft capital to get an aging veteran with notable limitations. They could have a younger player with more upside happy and helming their offense.
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Thus, the Smith trade creates an odd dichotomy for the Redskins. On one hand, their present situation made it necessary to make such a deal, and landing a player of this caliber is promising for their immediate future. However, it’s impossible to ignore that they had a better option on the table in Cousins and their botched handling of it forced the trade to be necessary.