With the talk of Kirk Cousins not being a member of the Washington Redskins, the next question would be to ask; then who? Do the Redskins have someone else in mind? Why would the Redskins want to walk away from this QB? We will answer that and take a look at some possible options below.
Why would the Washington Redskins want to walk away from Kirk Cousins?
There is a sense within some inside the Redskins organization that Kirk Cousins is not a franchise QB. That is it Jay Gruden’s system that has made him the player that he is. General Manager Scot McCloughan was heard in an interview saying words similar to this. He believes that the system is so good that they can plug and play with another person and he is not going to break the bank on one player. This is why the Redskins feel they can walk away from Cousins and not be hurt at the position.
Well if not Kirk Cousins then who?
Who would play QB for the Washington Redskins if Kirk Cousins is not the QB? The logical choice would be Colt McCoy. McCoy signed a 3-year contract with Redskins in March of 2016. If a move was made to tag and trade Cousins or simply let him walk, McCoy would be an immediate candidate. There also could be someone on the open market that McCloughan is eyeing. However, the class of free agent QBs is way below the talent level of Kirk Cousins or even Colt McCoy.
There could be a play in which the Redskins franchise tag Kirk Cousins, with the non-exclusive tag, and then field offers from teams. This is the most likely scenario. This, in turn, would net them some draft picks in which they could draft a QB in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. One such name could be Mitch Trubisky out of the University of North Carolina. Trubisky is probably the most pro-ready QB in the draft. He is mobile, he has good arm strength, and most important, has taken snaps from under center. The only issue would be if the Redskins would want to start a rookie in a new system rather than a veteran of the system.
[Sean]
There could also be player movement involved with a trade. Maybe there is a word around the NFL that a QB or two could be available via trade. Again the Redskins could receive a player and picks as compensation in a tag and trade scenario. I am not sure at this time who that could be, but those on the deep inside may have some speculation.
The Washington Redskins could also use some of the picks that they receive in a trade to maybe make a move for a QB. One player that comes to mind is Jimmy Garoppolo. If the New England Patriots feel good enough about Jacoby Brissett backing up Tom Brady, then they may be comfortable working some deals that include Garoppolo.
The last scenario could be that the Washington Redskins would like to see who becomes available. They would then tag Cousins and wait to make a deal to see what cap casualties there are. A few of the names here are Colin Kaepernick, Tyrod Taylor, Jay Cutler and maybe even Blake Bortles. There could also be the inevitable mistake of bringing in Tony Romo. Boy, how would that dig at the souls of Redskins fans?
Kirk Cousins market value roughly is $24 million per year. That would put a long-term contract in the area of 5-years $120 million. A contract well within the realm of the Washington Redskins salary cap. However, it sounds like this is not a contract that the Redskins are not ready to take on. When will they learn?