Wyatt Cushman, Staff Writer |
Kirk Cousins was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He was the eighth Quarterback taken overall and the second by Washington. The future of the team was supposed to be Robert Griffin III, who was coming off a sensational Heisman winning season at the University of Baylor. Cousins was brought in as the backup, a very underrated position as we learned from the Philadelphia Eagles this past postseason. Cousins eventually ended up as the starter in Washington after Griffin’s career was derailed due to a knee injury, and the once solidified backup became the starter.
Cousins has a career completion percentage of 65.5 percent over the course of his six-year career, an impressive statistic for any Quarterback. He also led Washington to a Division title in 2015, his first full season as the starter. While Cousins has had some experience on the field, his off the field drama due to contract disputes is the highlight of his career thus far.
For the last two off seasons, Cousins has expressed his desire to agree on a long-term contract with the Redskins, but both years he was given the Franchise Tag, which is a one-year contract that pays a player a certain amount based on players’ salaries that play the same position. This year though the Redskins traded for veteran Alex Smith, who is set to be the next starter in Washington, meaning Cousins will be playing elsewhere in 2018.
There are many teams in the market for a new Quarterback this offseason, and the former Redskins QB is at the top of the wish list for some of those teams, one of them being the New York Jets. The Jets have struggled to get consistent Quarterback play for the last few years and believe that this could be their chance to snatch up their signal caller of the future. It was reported that the Jets are willing to pay “whatever it takes” earlier this month by ESPN, and we will soon find out if what the Jets have been saying is true once free agency begins on March 14.
This anticipated union between Cousins and the Jets makes a lot of sense when looking at the financial status of the Jets. They are anticipated to have anywhere from $73 million to $100 million in cap space to spend on free agents this offseason, which is more than any other team in the league besides the Cleveland Browns. The desperate need for a Quarterback and the ample cap space necessary to offer a large contract makes this scenario seem like a strong possibility.
Cousins will not settle when it comes time to sign with a team. He has plenty of options, and he’ll take nothing less than his asking price. Other destinations include Arizona, Buffalo, and Denver; These are all places that have a good defense that may entice Cousins to sign with them. Free agency begins March 14 at 4 p.m. EST, and it’s not just where he goes to keep your eye on, but how much money that team is willing to give to get him.
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