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Judging by what happened this past season, it appears the Washington Redskins have finally found themselves a franchise quarterback in Kirk Cousins. And in true Washington form, this revelation is going so well that contract negotiations have ended between Cousins and the team, and as of now Cousins is headed for free agency.
Cousins may still be their franchise guy, but in this case the Redskins are smart not to chase him down.
It’s a classic tug of war match that happens between star and franchise that you almost always see once a year. Cousins is rightfully trying to maximize his leverage — of which he has a lot — to net himself a mega-contract befitting a starting quarterback. He was a fourth-round pick, after all, so he hasn’t really tasted the sweet nectar of a multi-million dollar year.
And then the Redskins are in the unenviable position of balancing their two realities. One reality is that Cousins is unquestionably the best passer they have, and he did perform at a level no one saw coming from him. The other reality is that Cousins only did it for a handful of games, certainly not long or consistently enough to warrant that huge contract he’s angling for. Not to mention, up until this point Cousins looked like a pretty colossal bust with a serious turnover problem.
Washington can’t afford to let him walk, but it can’t afford to pay him like a stud player. Cousins knows this and is really banking on his standing in free agency to bait the Redskins into paying. Depending on how things shake out, Cousins might be the best free agent quarterback available. And once he’s a free agent, that contract he wants becomes much more likely. Hence the standoff that you have now.
That’s why Washington is smart to not blink first here. The reality in Washington doesn’t match up with the reality of the league at large, one where Cousins is never going to have as much value to someone else as he does to the Redskins. They’re smart to hold their ground right now, especially when you consider the fact that they can always franchise Cousins if need be. One year at almost $20 million for Cousins isn’t ideal, but it would buy the team another year to figure out what he really can and can’t do.
Another year of Cousins balling out would make it easier for them to pony up next year. And it would also make it easy to let Cousins walk if he flounders again. That’s the trump card the Redskins have to play, and not biting now could save them a big headache two or three years down the line. Meanwhile, Cousins will play his hyped-up free agent angle as far as he can until it eventually starts to fade, and in that case he’s more likely to take a more team-friendly deal.
The Redskins are playing their hand smart. Good for them.
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