Washington Redskins: Can Kirk Cousins win the division to get paid?
Kirk Cousins has done something that we haven’t seen from Washington football before Joe Theisman wrecked his leg. In two years, Cousins has provided stability to the Washington Redskins quarterback position. He led Washington to a division title in 2015 and made his first Pro Bowl last year.
For most teams, Cousins would be considered a mid-to-low-end franchise quarterback. However, he has not yet garnered a long-term deal with Washington. The Redskins have opted to franchise tag him the last two seasons. If he plays like he did the last two years, Cousins is about to get real expensive real fast.
So what will it take for Washington to pay Cousins like a top-12 starter? Washington needs to do more than finish above .500. The Redskins will need to win the NFC East. Playing a third-place schedule will help. Drawing the NFC West doesn’t hurt. Getting the AFC West isn’t great, but Dallas and New York’s season schedules are much tougher. Is Philadelphia ready to make it a foursome?
We know that Cousins throws for a high completion percentage. He has taken to Jay Gruden’s offense quite well these last two years. However, he does lose some key pieces around him offensively. Offensive coordinator Sean McVay is the new Los Angeles Rams head coach. Wideouts DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the San Francisco 49ers in free agency, respectively.
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Cousins still has Jordan Reed at tight end, a former first-round pick at wide receiver in Josh Doctson, another 1,000-yard receiver in free agent signee Terrelle Pryor and who could ever forget about running back Fat Rob Kelley? The Redskins aren’t always fun to root for, but its’ fun to cheer on Cousins to continue to do the impossible at quarterback. You Like That???