Will Cousins Play For The Skins In 2018

[beachboy757]

The front office needs to make things right and re-sign Cousins. A lot of these articles and comments I read make it seem as if Cousins is first year starter (especially bringing up the rocky past). Cousins has now been on the team for 6 seasons and starting for 3. This is HIS team.  To let him walk is relinquishing a leader and face of the team, breaking up continuity, and damaging the culture of the team (which has been as normal as it will be for this franchise) all over a few million dollars.  That will be unacceptable if that happens.

[Fat Stupid Loser]

3 minutes ago, beachboy757 said:

The front office needs to make things right and re-sign Cousins. A lot of these articles and comments I read make it seem as if Cousins is first year starter (especially bringing up the rocky past). Cousins has now been on the team for 6 seasons and starting for 3. This is HIS team.  To let him walk is relinquishing a leader and face of the team, breaking up continuity, and damaging the culture of the team (which has been as normal as it will be for this franchise) all over a few million dollars.  That will be unacceptable if that happens.

I wonder if the players would ever start making their ways to Bruce's office?

[wit33]

3 minutes ago, Fat Stupid Loser said:

I wonder if the players would ever start making their ways to Bruce's office?

 

Players can careless, IMO. 

 

It will be interesting if any choose to campaign for him, other than PC type support. Most are concerned about themselves for most part. Also, great success hasn’t transpired with Kirk (Not all on him in the least bit). 

[Skinsinparadise]

57 minutes ago, Veryoldschool said:

The poll is closed now and the final tally is ~46% say Kick will play for the Skins in 2018. I voted for that the Skins would let him go but the cowardly thing would be to transition tag him so maybe that is what Snyder does.  The fact that he is sending out a survey to his ticket holders suggests he is worried about a drop in support, so maybe even if he can't get an LTD done with Kirk Snyder clings to him with a transition tag.  I hope the ~ 46% are right and I really hope the ~25% that think he'll play under an LTD with the Skins are right, I wish I was that optimistic.  Sadly, ~54% say Kirk is gone, that would really suck.

 

Is there a guy on the planet with more high profile egg in your face moves on QB than Dan?  It started with dumping Brad Johnson for Jeff George and then on and on.  Every now and then I get surprised by a new article I dig up like the one about Dan clamoring for Brady Quinn where it took the scouts a week to talk him out of it.   So I'd love to see how Bruce tries to sell this time why it didn't work out with the Kirk contract while they try to sell Keenum or whatever they got cooking.  Doug going to sell it for him?  And heck we should trust them because? 

 

My gut is there is something real to the team having concerns about PR fallout from letting Kirk go.  I don't think Bruce reads that idiotic press release on camera if they didn't care about fallout.   After the season, I am going to egg on people I know who care about this to badger the front office with communications about the contract -- because I think it might have an impact.   

 

I get the idea that the front office should operate without concern with what fans think -- and I agree with the spirit of that idea.  But I don't trust this specific front office's instincts on much especially when it comes to the Kirk contract.   And as dysfunctional as Dan's Redskins have been for most of his tenure, I do think even he can luck into success if he rides forward with Kirk, Jay and they keep building the team.  

[srtman04]

I swear to God, if they let Cousins walk, that will be my tipping point and I will be done with this franchise as long as the owner continues to be Dan Snyder

 

[Veryoldschool]

2 minutes ago, srtman04 said:

I swear to God, if they let Cousins walk, that will be my tipping point and I will be done with this franchise as long as the owner continues to be Dan Snyder

 

 

You won't be the only one, I'm there also and wonder how many others feel this way.  There is only so much stupidity a man can take and come back hoping from a different result.  I was on the brink with the RG3 mess and was desperate for them to start Cousins in 2015.  Now that he has not only worked out but excelled they have to sign him, no excuses it has to be done.  If Cousins walks I'm adopting his new team providing it isn't the Giants, Dallas or some perennial loser like Cleveland.  Kirk's smart so if he is free to choose I expect him to pick a good team and it would be fun to climb on their bandwagon.  This is not my preferred outcome, I'd love for them to extend Cousins and play for 10 years, win a couple of Super Bowls and go to the HOF, but adopt his new team is a fallback option.

[Paul Cumberland]

New ESPN 980 Poll on Twitter for those that would like to vote...

 

[Est.1974]

10 hours ago, UKskins said:

What I can tell you, is I support Norwich City in soccer, and my favourite player ever Darren Huckerby was offered a deal to double to his wages and stay in the Premier League when we got relegated. He turned that down because he..............

.........knew he wasn't good enough to play in the PL anymore, with about 10 goals in his last 100+ games. So he played safe and took 3 years easy money in the championship.

[Skinsinparadise]

25 minutes ago, Paul Cumberland said:

New ESPN 980 Poll on Twitter for those that would like to vote..

 

 

Thanks for the heads up.  Right now its 76% for Cousins, 24% for the draft.  I wonder what spurred on that poll?  There is no show cooking right now on 980.  Typically its a program that pushes it to their audience and then they cover the results on their show. 

[Veryoldschool]

2 hours ago, Tsailand said:

 

He didn't counteroffer because he was afraid we would take his offer.

 

Sounds like he wants to go someplace where he can win instead of being stuck with our high bid.

 

Yes, I agree, if Kirk wants out it is to pick and play for a winner.  He didn't solicit a deal with another team last year which may be because he didn't want to back into a LTD with the Skins.  I hope that isn't the case but not soliciting another offer and not countering the Skins low ball offer would be the way to go if you want out but want to pick your team.

[Skinsinparadise]

Chris Russell‏ @Russellmania621 2h2 hours ago

More

Chris Russell Retweeted Rick Snider

I say 75-25 he's not coming back, but the bigger point is they finally have someone who is more than competent and they are treating him w/ the cold shoulder.

Chris Russell added,

Rick Snider @Snide_Remarks

As season nears end, my guess is the Redskins will not sign Cousins to a long-term deal. I'd say 60/40 Kirk's not back. And this is just dumb because they waited 20+ years to find someone as good as him. Kirk's not Brady, but he's better than most NFL QBs. You'll see that in '18.

 

[Rufus T Firefly]

I'm thinking more and more it'll be the Transition tag and not matching the offer. That way Bruce can keep playing the "boy, we wanted to keep him, but greedy Kirk signed a deal he knew we couldn't match" game.

 

Last offseason made pretty clear Allen would rather get nothing for him and divert blame at the expense of what's best for the team.

[zoony]

Welp, not one for ultimatums, but if cousins walks that will be it for me.  Barely hanging on by a thread now to this gawd awful clown show.  

[Rufus T Firefly]

 

17 minutes ago, zoony said:

Welp, not one for ultimatums, but if cousins walks that will be it for me.  Barely hanging on by a thread now to this gawd awful clown show.  

[SkinInsite]

Kirk should max his earning potential, everyone else does.

 

Get tagged for one more year and get a LTD deal in 2019.

[Veryoldschool]

52 minutes ago, zoony said:

Welp, not one for ultimatums, but if cousins walks that will be it for me.  Barely hanging on by a thread now to this gawd awful clown show.  

 

Yeah, that is how I feel also.  I was close to bailing on the Skins during the RG3 mess after all the other Snyder screwups.  Cousins gave me hope and if they let him slip away it will be it.   I don't know what percentage of the base feels this way.  I won't go away angry I guess it will be apathy.  Maybe I'll follow Cousins new team but I'll turn my back on the Skins.

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

 

What a depressing headline -- a typo from Liz Clark or intentional? I highlight the paragraphs below that I care about.  As for the new and improved Colt McCoy narrative which is most of that article, I say BS.  I saw a WP article last year about how Colt supposedly improved his arm strength.  The thing about watching camp is you often can watch all the QBs throw back to back -- and to say that you can see Colt's arm was the weakest of the three would be an understatement.  Colt's balls float they don't fly and boy was it noticeable. 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/kirk-cousins-is-expected-to-leave-is-colt-mccoy-ready-for-his-redskins-close-up/2017/12/23/f6d71a2c-e76a-11e7-833f-155031558ff4_story.html?utm_term=.4888af6febba

 

Kirk Cousins is expected to leave. Is Colt McCoy ready for his Redskins’ close-up?

 

Around the NFL, front-office executives and those who understand quarterback play can’t believe Washington would let Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos (5-9) be Cousins’s last at FedEx Field as a Redskin.

 

The thing you know with Kirk, he is committed to the job,” said CBS Sports analyst Trent Green, who, like Cousins, spent time as a Redskins backup quarterback before the then-St. Louis Rams signed him as their starter in 1999.

 

“You don’t have to worry about whether he’s going to be distracted by other things. When you start evaluating quarterbacks coming out in the draft, you wonder, ‘How much does this mean to him? What’s going to happen if he gets a lot of money? A lot of fame?’ If you lose Cousins, you’re losing a guy who is 100 percent committed to making your team and your organization better.”

 

Said former NFL quarterback Babe Laufenberg, who has studied Cousins closely: “It would send a terrible message to the fans and the team. It would show or, perhaps more accurately, reinforce a lack of direction and stability — two things that are imperative for any successful business. Teams spend a lot of money and draft picks before you get to a guy like Kirk Cousins. To have him and let him go? I don’t get that.”

[SkinsFTW]

13 hours ago, Darrell Green Fan said:

 

 

I just don't agree he needs a stacked roster.  He needs a good team, no doubt he can't carry them by himself like Rodgers.

 

Rodgers has a grand total of 0 Super Bowl appearances without a Top 2 defense.

 

I'm pretty sure we'd at least sniff a SB with Cousins and a top 2 defense.

 

Tom Brady hasn't won **** without a top 8 defense and in most of his SB's they were 1, 2, 3, or 4 with the addition of a real nice running game too.

 

Lets see if we'll ever even have a top 10 defense let alone a top 5 or top 2 which is what every other QB has required.

[bla bla bla]

Hello all, as the title states I'm a Jets fan, was creeping on the forums to see what the consensus feeling is regarding Kirk Cousins. I contemplated throwing this into the main Cousins thread but figured you may not get many outside fan perspectives so I thought it warranted a separate thread. After a few hours of browsing the forum it seems like most fans are on the side of keeping Cousins however they realize that the Franchise Tag is likely too back breaking to slap him with. So let's look at the options the Redskins will have:

 

Resign Prior to FA

I think it is safe to say that with 2 months between the end of the season and FA he will be willing to test his market. No LTD will be signed before the start of FA.

 

The Franchise Tag

$34M for a one year deal in hopes that a long term deal can be worked out. If this tag is placed on him then it's clear the Redskins want to retain Cousins, no team is going to give up 2 first round picks and a record breaking contract. The question then becomes does Kirk want to sign long term with the Redskins before testing FA? I believe he wants to test the FA market and see which teams will court him. If this is the feeling around the organization I don't think there is any way they Franchise him. Kirk plays the most guarded position in the NFL so if there is one position to risk injury to test FA it is probably the QB. If we assume he'd receive $65M in guarantees from a new deal (4M more than Stafford) it seems reasonable that he'd want to ride out the franchise tag and sign a contract in FA in 2019. He'd only need to make $31M in guarantees in a 2019 deal to compensate for not signing a deal in 2018. ($65M-$34M = $31M)

 

At age 31 in 2019 I think it is highly likely that he still receives a record breaking deal ($65M in guarantees) let alone the $31M needed to make up for the fact that he didn't take a contract in 2018. With this in mind I think there is no way that the Redskins will be able to negotiate a long term deal prior to him hitting FA in 2019. 

 

The other option with the Franchise Tag is the ability to trade Cousins. For this to happen Cousins will need to agree to a long term extension with the new team prior to the trade going through. No team is going trade a pick to pay Kirk $34M without knowing if he is going to be there long term. I don't believe a team is going to offer a high pick for him knowing he will be a FA in 2019, why not keep your assets and wait until then? The Redskins would be looking to get at least a 3rd round pick (higher than the comp pick they'd receive if he leaves via FA). This price tag + new deal + teams the Redskins are willing to trade him to will limit the market for Kirk. Is Kirk willing to limit his options to sign a long term deal? I won't pretend I know more than Washington fans on this matter but it appears like Cousins wants to test FA and give himself every option. We then get to are the Redskins willing to risk Cousins playing on the tag in hopes that he will okay a trade? I'm not sure $34M is worth the risk in acquiring a 3rd round pick when you could just get a 3rd round comp pick from letting him walk.

My analysis: If Franchise Tagged, Cousins will opt to play on the tag, preventing another team from trading for him.

 

The Transition Tag

$28M one year deal that allows other teams to offer contracts but allows the Redskins the ability to match a deal he is offered. No compensation is needed to offer a contract like the Franchise Tag, since $28M is likely what he'd get on the open market, teams will be jumping at the ability to offer him a deal. All a team will need to do is offer a heavily front loaded contract, multiple teams will have the ability to do this preventing the Redskins from matching the deal. By placing this tag on Cousins the Redskins lose the ability to regain a 3rd round comp pick (since he didn't leave via FA).

My analysis: If Transition Tagged, the Redskins will be outbid on a contract and will not receive any compensation.

 

Allow Cousins to hit Free Agency

As odd as this sounds this seems like the best option for the Redskins. Since the 2 tag options are unlikely to end in a long term deal with the Redskins, they will have a chance at a Hail Mary. Allowing Cousins to test FA could be seen as giving him what he wants "test his market value with all 32 teams". This show of good faith could be enough to show that the Redskins are willing to attempt to match a deal with the added benefit of receiving a 3rd round comp pick in the event that they can not match the deal. Maybe Kirk feels that he likes his teammates or doesn't want to uproot his life to sign a deal similar to what the Redskins will offer. Since other teams will be able to offer larger contracts the only hope he returns is if he is willing to take a lower deal because he wants to be a Redskin. Given the rift between Management and Cousins I'd say that Snyder will need to get down on his hands and knees and beg for forgiveness for Cousins to consider taking a deal with the Redskins for less than other teams offer.

My analysis: Cousins is fed up with ownership not believing in him and will opt to go for a big deal with a team that shows 100% support in him. The Redskins will receive a 3rd round comp pick in the end.

 

What teams will be interested in Cousins?

Cousins will likely command at least what Matt Stafford got this past offseason: 5 years $135M with $60.5 guaranteed. (an average of $27M per year)

 

49ers, Browns, Broncos, Cardinals, Bengals, Dolphins, Giants, Jaguars, Bills, and Jets could all be in the market for a QB. Lets break down the pros and cons for each of these teams.

 

49ers: I think it's safe to assume Jimmy G is going to be the QB for them in 2018 whether that is on a franchise tag or on a long term deal. Teams don't trade away a high 2nd round pick to allow the QB that is playing lights out to walk away.

 

Browns: They will have the number 1 pick in the draft (and likely another top 5 pick from the Texans). The Browns will have the ability to pay Cousins whatever he wants and will be able to trade the #1 pick for a kings ransom to surround Kirk with talent. Josh Gordon could be seen as a valuable commodity that Kirk will be able to throw to if he chooses Cleveland, given how much he spreads the ball around though I'm not sure he'll see Gordon as a big enough reason to sign there. The Question would be will Kirk want to play in Cleveland? Does Cleveland give him the best chance to win of the teams listed? I'm not so sure players view Cleveland as a desirable location to set up camp.

 

Broncos: Elway will likely be licking his chops at the opportunity of having a franchise QB again. With the roster they currently have this will be an attractive win now opportunity for Cousins. They'll only have $30M in cap space though, assuming they'll need $7-10M in cap to sign their draft class plus have room for in season moves that knocks them back to $20M. They will need to cut some of their big contracts in order to have a deal that will be comparable to market value. With those players removed from the fold and the inability to add any new FA, will Cousins see that as a worthwhile landing spot? Since you'll have the Raiders, Chiefs, and Chargers in your division the path to the playoffs will be comparable to the NFC East. How much money is Kirk willing to leave on the table to keep Denver in tact?

 

Cardinals: Here is another attractive win now team but much like the Broncos, the Cardinals will need to make significant cuts in order to fit Cousins under their cap. The Cardinals only have $20M in cap space compared to the Broncos $30M. The NFC West will put Cousins against the Rams, Seahawks, and the 49ers. Like the AFC West this will be a difficult path to the playoffs. Will the Cardinals minus some key players and a tough division be the ideal location? 

 

Bengals: This could be an interesting scenario if they decide to cut ties with Dalton this year with a new regime on the horizon. The Bengals will have the cap space if they decide to cut Dalton. Would Cousins choose them? The NFC North could be up for grabs with Big Ben possibly retiring at the end of the year so that could be attractive in a weak AFC. The Bengals will also have AJ McCarron who they can place a 1st round tender on or Franchise depending on what his status will be. The Bengals were going to trade McCarron for a 2nd and 3rd round pick, is this an indication that they do not believe in him or that they believe in Dalton? or does it mean they think they have a shot at Cousins? There are a lot of ifs that go into the Bengals and it's tough to say what management is thinking at this point. They likely won't be the highest offer so the surrounding team may come into play for Kirk.

 

Dolphins: They have Tannehill under a reasonable contract through 2020 so I'm not sure they are willing to cut bait with him when he looked primed to have a good season prior to injury. My guess is they'll roll with him rather than shelling out the money for Cousins.

 

Giants: They will hold a top 3 pick most likely, and I believe they will trade up one slot if needed to get their QB of the future. Cousins going here would be a revenge move, I don't believe the Giants will have the necessary cap space needed to make a run at Cousins especially since they'll need to resign their 2 best players on the OL of what is already one of the worst lines in the NFL. I don't think Cousins will take a pay cut to play behind that line.

 

Jaguars: This team is by far the strongest team without a franchise QB. The are set to be $8M over the cap but can make some moves that will give them space if they wish. Besides Bortles they would likely be losing Malik Jackson, Allen Hurns, Paul Richardson, Marqise Lee, and Chris Ivory. That would give them just enough cap for Cousins to take a relatively team friendly deal. No state income tax would help recoup some of the money he leaves on the table. By signing this deal the Jags would most likely lose most of their young defenders when it comes time to paying them to try and win a Super Bowl in the next 2 years. Do the Jags want to roll the dice on another year of Bortles since he has started to look pretty good the last month? Do they look to trade a late round pick to the Giants for Eli Manning (2 years $33M), since the Coughlin connection is there, for the 2 year Super Bowl window and the ability to groom a QB behind Eli while keeping all their young defensive talent? Personally I think Bortles/Eli/Tyrod could make more sense for the Jags than a Cousins signing.

 

This leaves us with the Bills and Jets. Both teams have relatively similar rosters and even though Brady is playing at a super human level it is only a matter of time before father time starts to catch up to him so the AFC East would be wide open. Both teams will have a lot of assets to surround him with talent the Bills will have draft picks and the Jets will have money + draft picks. The one thing the Jets can offer is marketability. The earning potential outside of football for Cousins in the NY market is outrageous. Eli earns an extra $8M per year (Brees at $11M and Rodgers with $7.5M). Now factor in that the Jets have not had a franchise QB in the last 40 years and you have a recipe for lots of $$$. 

 

Why does it makes sense for the Jets?

 

Ownership - Woody has been playing second fiddle to the Giants the entire time he's owned the Jets. He'll be chomping at the bit to sign a QB like Cousins who would bring stability at the position for the first time in years.

 

GM - Macc tried to trade for Cousins back when Geno got punched so the interest was clearly there. Macc has no excuses this year, with plenty of draft picks and money to go out and get a QB it makes more sense for him to get a sure thing than it does to trade up for the #3 QB in this draft (assuming the Browns and Giants are picking 1 & 2). This also allows Macc to grade Bowles as a Head Coach, if he can't win after bringing in Cousins then there is a good chance that Macc will have the opportunity to bring in his own HC.

 

Bowles - This will give him the best opportunity to win. There is no secret that Bowles prefers an experienced starter over a younger player. 

 

Financials 

 

The Jets will have $96M in cap space by cutting Wilkerson, Skrine, Ijalana, Smith, and Forte. They could offer $40M year 1 and $35M fully guaranteed and they'd still have $56M in cap space to retain all their FAs. I'm confident we'll be able to resign Enunwa, Claiborne, Ealy, Davis, Catanzaro, and ASJ for ~$35M which could still leave room for the Jets to go out and get an additional CB in FA. The Jets have quietly assembled a healthy offense with ASJ, Kearse, and Anderson + we'll be getting Enunwa back from injury next year. Looking at the Jets major weaknesses after resigning those players we'd be in need of a Center and a Pass Rusher. The Jets will have a top 10 pick, two 2nd rounders, and a high 3rd to find both those positions. Personally I'd love to double dip at Pass Rusher and then take a Center and a RB in the 2nd. Their youngest stars that will need to be paid (Leonard Williams, Robby Anderson, Jordan Jenkins) won't need a contract until 2020 so the Jets could heavily front load a deal to make it manageable.

 

6 Years $168M (average of $28M per year) with $75M guaranteed could be enough to get a deal done. That's $15M more in guarantees than Stafford and pays him $1M more per year on average. 

 

Year 1 - $40M

Year 2 - $35M

Year 3 - $24M

Year 4 - $23M

Year 5 - $23M

Year 6 - $23M

 

Matt Ryan, Tom Brady, Cam Newton, Philip Rivers, Big Ben, Eli Manning, Carson Palmer, and Russel Wilson all take up 12% or more of their teams cap space. With the projected cap of $200M in 2020 (year 3) Cousins' contract would be 12% of the cap which would put him on par with all these QBs just in time for the Jets to start paying our young players.

 

 

- I apologize for the massive post and hope I provided a little insight from another teams perspective. My biggest question is what do you believe Cousins' motivation will be when looking for his next deal/team? What is important to him? 

[BleedBNG]

4 hours ago, Rufus T Firefly said:

I'm thinking more and more it'll be the Transition tag and not matching the offer. That way Bruce can keep playing the "boy, we wanted to keep him, but greedy Kirk signed a deal he knew we couldn't match" game.

 

I'm thinking Trans Tag also. I think the FO is betting he doesn't get an offer over $25M and no higher than $50M GRNTD. If so, they might match it. Of course KC could say no to it all, get $28M for '18, and try again in '19. Then again, if they let him walk, the Skins get a 3rd round comp pick. If they don't match, and KC agrees to sign onto another team, the Skins get no comp pick. Franchise and NX Tag are definitely off the table.

[NoVaSkins21]

I'm thinking 80/20:  No/Yes that he's here next year.  Things can change, but probably not.

[skinny21]

Always (well, almost always) appreciate in depth posts by other team’s fans.  

 

On one hand, you regurgitated stuff that’s been discussed ad nauseam (and so this should have been posted in the Cousins thread), but that last bit pertaining to the Jets in particular was a good, deeper look at things there.  

 

I agree that the tags are likely not the right moves, but I believe a full court press 1) could get a deal done, 2) would bolster the standing of this FO with fans, 3) would be good for the team, and 4) would (hopefully) show that Bruce Allen is willing to tamp down his ego for the good of the team/fans.  It would also bring clarity to the offseason without keeping us (players, coaches, scouts and fans) in limbo.  The last thing it might do is increase the likelihood of attracting any new FAs and re-signing our own FAs.  

 

I have serious doubt about it happening though...

[BleedBNG]

Is this bla,bla,bla Bob Glauber?  Just kidding

 

https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/bob-glauber/jets-quarterback-search-kirk-cousins-1.15565579

[Tsailand]

7 hours ago, Veryoldschool said:

He didn't solicit a deal with another team last year which may be because he didn't want to back into a LTD with the Skins.

 

That wasn't an option.  We tagged him exclusively.  Any team which talked to him would have been breaking NFL rules.

[purbeast]

10 hours ago, wit33 said:

 

Players can careless, IMO. 

 

It will be interesting if any choose to campaign for him, other than PC type support. Most are concerned about themselves for most part. Also, great success hasn’t transpired with Kirk (Not all on him in the least bit). 

How much less can they care?  A lot?  A little?

10 hours ago, Paul Cumberland said:

New ESPN 980 Poll on Twitter for those that would like to vote...

 

Is this ****ing for real?  Isn't 980 owned by Snyder?  He's really asking if people would rather have a top 10 quarterback in the NFL who has proven it for the past 3 years who will bring stability to the franchise, or if we would want a ****ing unknown draft prospect who has probably never taken a snap under center?

 

WHAT THE ****???