NFL free agency 2018: Best quarterbacks available

Let’s be perfectly clear here. Nobody is going to get paid quite like Washington Redskins free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins is. Nobody. After having been franchise tagged by the Redskins the last two seasons, it looks to be obvious that Washington is moving on from their franchise quarterback.

Rather than kick the can again, Washington traded for former Kansas City Chiefs starter Alex Smith last week. This moved now allows Patrick Mahomes to be the starter in Kansas City and means the Cousins era in the nation’s capital is coming to an end. Of course, the Redskins could be the Redskins and tag him a third time to further justify their incompetence.

So where could Cousins end up? At this time, the two best landing spots for him would be either the Denver Broncos or the New York Jets. Denver is done messing around with a quarterback. He could be a Jake Plummer type of player for them if he gets the right pieces around him. Perhaps the better bet might be the New York Jets, as new offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates comes from the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay coaching tree of quarterbacking. New York also has a ton of money to throw at Cousins.

Expect Cousins to be the highest paid player in the league, but an overvalued one at that. He will provide stability in chaos, which is exactly what he did in Washington the last three seasons. Cousins could make Denver, New York or whoever signs him a playoff viable team. He will cost his new club a Brinks truck full of money to land his services.