Perfect landing spot for Kirk Cousins
By Jake Bridges
With the shocking news of Alex Smith being traded to Washington, that signals the end to Kirk Cousins‘ career as a Redskin and also may be a foreshadowing to an exciting free agency (hopefully). The news of this trade broke at a weird time in the week leading up to the Super Bowl, which means the regular season is barely a month from being over. This just makes you wonder if the Redskins ever had it in their plans to resign Cousins after the season, because despite what they said they seemingly put little to no effort in resigning him. Say what you will about him though, it may have just been time for management to move in another direction and they did it sooner rather than later to give Cousins time to land in the best spot for him. Or are they?
His deal is likely going to set the market for quarterbacks looking to get new deals and he is likely going to take his time in making sure he gets the most money while still landing in a spot that allows him the best chance to compete for a championship. There are several teams looking for a quarterback and they are going to have to decide if they want to spend big bucks to bring Cousins in or spend a high draft pick on one in a draft that has a few polarizing prospects but no ‘sure thing’. Grading the trade for both sides is a whole separate article, but examining where Cousins could end up this off-season is going to be a challenge because there are plenty of suitors, but who can afford him? This article is going to be examining what the best fit for Cousins will be, not necessarily where he will go. Let’s get started, shall we.
The Browns don’t have the greatest track record with drafting a quarterback, or quarterbacks in general for that matter. It might be wise for the Browns to take a different approach in how they evaluate and bring in quarterback talent and try a veteran who is still capable of playing and use their high picks to surround him with talent. The Browns have some solid pieces in place to build around and they are fairly young at key positions.
Unfortunately, their biggest need might be at head coach and that doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon. Offensively, they have big, fast receivers that can stretch the field and an athletic freak for a tight end. They also have one of the better dual threat running backs that has never been utilized to his full potential. To top things off, on paper they had one of the best offensive lines going into last season, unfortunately that was derailed by injuries and we never saw it operate at its full potential but that should chance this year. Defensively, they have a solid front seven with a superstar in the making with last years number one overall pick Myles Garrett.
Garrett’s rookie season was shortened due to a few injuries, but he still showed some flashes of why he was the first overall pick. The Browns had a sneaky good run defense as well with a lot of solid players sprinkled throughout the defense. They have a lot of young players who have been forced to contribute early which has given them valuable experience.
With a few more pieces in place the Browns could start to creep into the .500 territory and a proven starting quarterback will be one less piece they will have to worry about hitting on. With that being said, it is the Browns and if it makes sense they will probably find a way to screw it up.
To me, this makes the least sense, yes they need a quarterback and yes it is one of the most important positions in sports but the Broncos need a lot more help than Kirk Cousins. The Broncos have an aging core of players that will sooner than later need addressing and bringing in Kirk Cousins would tie up a lot of money they could use other places. The only reason the Broncos made the list for me is because of John Elway. Elway has a history of being aggressive in free agency when there is a player he wants, and I’m sure he wants to lock down the quarterback position.
With Cousins figuring to be the top available free agent and a position of need for the Broncos it wouldn’t be a shock to see it happen. With a fairly high draft pick and a lot of other needs to be filled, I expect them to draft a quarterback early and get a cheaper “bridge” quarterback. This will allow them to surround the eventual face of the franchise with talent.
There are rumors that both starting receivers could be gone this off-season in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. They do have some depth at the receiver position, but it would be a significant downgrade if one or both of them leave. They also still have a few spots on the offensive line that need attention and they have no long-term answer at tight end, yet.
They drafted a tight end last year in Jake Butt, but he didn’t see playing time due to an injury late in his final season in college so he is still a bit of an unknown. C.J. Anderson played solid last year, but he has yet to put together a full season plus the Broncos don’t seem particularly committed to him.
Also, fellow running back Devonte Booker hasn’t separated himself or proven to be much more than a change of pace back. More importantly, the defense that was once one of the most fear defenses in the league took a significant step back last season and has only gotten older. There just isn’t the draw in Denver that some of the other quarterback needy teams have, leaving it the least likely team to land Kirk Cousins.
The Giants cleaned house in the front office and coaching staff starting before the season was actually over. Normally when you bring in new management they want to bring in a new quarterback to tie themselves too. Unless of course there is a two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback left behind in Eli Manning.
We all know he isn’t what he once was but he is still the face of the franchise. IT will be extremely hard to justify brining in a quarterback of Kirk Cousins caliber with Manning still there, and based on the public out cry from the surprise benching of Manning during the season for Geno Smith that isn’t changing anytime soon.
With that being said the Giants have one of the best receiving corps in the NFL, when all healthy led by Odell Beckham Jr, they have a decent offensive line but not great and a defense that is good when healthy but has a lot of money tied up in it and is facing some major changes soon.
They would have to restructure or cut loose some players to make Kirk Cousins coming in possible and still address other needs. They also have no clear answer at running back to help take the pressure off. However with Beckham in place, a solid defense and a new up and coming offensive guru head coach in Pat Shumur at the helm it makes for a very attractive place.
However, it is pretty clear with Manning’s current contract he is going to be the guy for at least another year making quarterback an unlikely spot to be addressed via free agency this year. This is purely a dream landing spot for Kirk Cousins for fantasy purposes.
Perhaps the most appealing landing spot for any player, not just quarterback this year in free agency. They have a lot of young talent pretty much every where on the roster, even at quarterback, and got within one win of going to the Super Bowl in 2017. Who knows what will happen this year with all three quarterbacks on the roster last season (Teddy Bridgewater, Case Keenum and Sam Bradford) with huge question marks heading into the off-season.
Rather it be contracts expiring or injury concerns; there is a real possibility that all three quarterbacks, who at one point where considered a long-term answer, not returning in 2018. Sure, throwing a lot of money at a flashy free agent doesn’t have a history of working out very well, but very rarely does a player like Kirk Cousins actually make it to the free agent market.
Also, with a late round pick and very little incentive to trade up it leaves them unlikely to get a quarterback via the draft worth starting Week 1. This leaves two options, resign one of the quarterbacks from 2017 or invest in the future with Kirk Cousins. With all the talent they currently have on the roster, it gives them the flexibility to take a risk or two and be a little aggressive to make sure they get the guy they want. Also their talent makes them an attractive landing spot for free agents who are wanting to compete for a championship.
Bridgewater has the best chance at retiring based on his current contract situation but he is far from a question mark as being the quarterback of the future is concerned. While it might not make the most sense on paper for the Vikings to bring in Kirk Cousins, when they could more than likely get a more team friendly deal with a quarterback they are familiar with and is familiar with their schemes, it makes for a great story. Keeping Bridgewater and signing Kirk Cousins doesn’t seem too crazy and who knows, maybe a quarterback like Kirk Cousins could push them over the edge and to a Super Bowl championship.
Last but not least, the Cardinals are just one season removed from a 13-3 record that ended with an NFC Championship game loss. The 2017 was a disappointment due to one injury after another to key players. There are however, some big changes ahead for the Cardinals with both their Head Coach and quarterback retiring after the season.
And with a new coach also means a new offensive coordinator and offense. The Cardinals feature on offense one of the best running backs in the game in David Johnson and one of the all-time great receivers in Larry Fitzgerald. They have an excellent defense that is only going to get better with some young players playing big roles and getting valuable experience last season.
The offensive line is solid but could use another piece or two and a play making tight end is a position of need. Bringing in Cousins would give them the flexibility to address other holes early in the draft rather than investing in a young quarterback who may or may not be ready.
The Cardinals are just a few pieces away from returning to Super Bowl contention which should be a huge selling point for Cousins. Johnson would give Cousins a running game that he has never had before in Washington and Fitzgerald is the type of receiver that would thrive with Cousins. Also, if Cousins were to land in Arizona that would almost certainly mean another season of Fitzgerald, who is contemplating retirement, which is something we all want to see.
Kirk Cousins could opt to go to who is willing to pay him the most money, in which case he will be a Brown next season. But, he could want to go to a team that gives him the best chance to compete for and win a championship which would mean the Browns would be last on his list. Taking these and a few other things into account, below is a list of the teams (in order) who I believe make the most sense for Kirk Cousins to go to :
- Arizona Cardinals
- Cleveland Browns
- Minnesota Vikings
- Denver Broncos
- New York Giants
Who ever he chooses, it is going to be one of the most exciting free agency periods in history. Kirk Cousins is sure to set the market and be the biggest piece of the free agency puzzle this year. Look for more articles for the big impact players as the free agency picture become more clear.
Next: 2018 Off season NFL Tight Ends
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