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This isn’t a Sotheby’s auction. There is more too it than that . . .
Everyone thinks that Kirk Cousins is going to go to the top bidder.
I don’t view it that way.
People think he’s going to get a deal for $30 million-a-year.
I don’t think that is going to happen.
First of all, a deal for $30 million-a-year would cripple a team’s ability to put a strong supporting cast around him, and he needs a strong supporting cast around him.
He knows that.
I don’t think he’s necessarily going to take the highest offer.
Some people felt he was greedy for not taking the Redskins offer last year summer
“We made Kirk an offer that included the highest fully guaranteed amount upon signing for a quarterback in NFL history ($53 million) and guaranteed a total of $72 million for injury,” Redskins President Bruce Allen said last summer.
I honestly don’t think Cousins wanted to sign long-term with the Redskins. He keeps things classy publicly, but there was clearly bad blood between the QB and Washington simmering beneath the surface.
I don’t think he appreciated all the politics that kept him off the field for a long stretch when he was clearly better than RG III.
He probably didn’t appreciate Allen calling him “Kurt” all the time in media stuff. I’m not saying Allen did this on purpose, but it was a bad look.
Also, the Redskins let both of his top targets walk out of the building in free agency last year – Desean Jackson and Pierre Garcon.
So he kept signing the franchise tag with an eye toward getting out of there this year, when the franchise tag got too expensive ($34 million).
Cousins has said repeatedly he wants to go to a team he can win, and I don’t think this is just “player-speak.”
“Is money a part of it? Sure. Is it the only thing? No,” Cousins told Pro Football Talk. “It is about winning, and that’s what I want more than anything, so I’m going to be willing to make sacrifices or do what has to be done to make sure I’m in the best possible position to win, and that’s what the focus is going to be.”
During another interview he said, “At the end of the day, I want to win. I was talking with Coach (Charlie) Weis earlier and he made it clear, ‘Hey, go where you can win.’ That’s exactly what the plan is.”
So my point is I don’t think his departure from Washington was just about money. It was also about lingering animosity and a better chance to win.
Not sure he will see the Jets are offering that.
I think Denver and Arizona (and sleeper Minnesota which has a lot of cap space and three free agent quarterbacks) are teams that might offer a better chance to win right now because they all have excellent defenses. The Jets’ defense isn’t excellent, perhaps it will be moving forward, but they are missing a lot of pieces those other three teams have – good pass rush/good cornerback room.
I said it before, and I will say it again, the Jets best option is the draft a QB at six, re-sign McCown to start this year and mentor, and throw the car keys to the kid in 2019.
February 2, 2018
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