He could go anywhere, and there are plenty of teams that would be happy to overpay him for his services. So what will the Redskins be willing to do in order to make sure he does;t go anywhere? Any chance they franchise tag him?
With Dan Snyder footing the bill it would not be shocking to see the team overpay and sign him to a long-term, big money deal. Rather than commit to Cousins for the long term the company could also hit with the franchise tag that way they are only committed to him for a year. It would be an expensive season and much more than he is worth right now, but it gives the team the ability to cut him loose with ease at the end of the season.
Should he continue to improve next season and the team keeps winning than they can justify signing him to a multi-year deal. If he doesn't, they can cut him loose or try to sign him for cheap.
What makes the franchise tag seem like a possibility will be the need to keep him from hitting the open market. If they do, he will be free to sign with anyone, and someone will pay him well. For a guy that is making $660,000 this season it will not be hard to blind him with dollar signs.
Tag him and the keep him off the market. They will end up having to pay him over $20 million (franchise tag is average of top five contracts at a specific position). He isn't worth that, but for a team that has had a revolving door of over-the-hill or mediocre quarterbacks for over two decades it may be worth it.
"He isn't worth that, but for a team that has had a revolving door of over-the-hill or mediocre quarterbacks for over two decades it may be worth it."
ReplyDeleteUm, WHAT? I suggest you re-read your last line and see the conflicting logic you built into it.
YOU may not think Cousins is worth $20 million. The Redskins are not the only team in the league with a revolving door at QB. No team has offered Kirk top end money, so lets not assume that they will. The base pay for a mid-tier QB is about $10 million. Kirk's number is likely to be around that.
I don't think there is anything conflicting at all. He has played well this season over all, but not great. He has, however, been better than anything the Redskins have had in many years. Rather than let him walk--or risk him walking--they may consider overpaying him with the tag.
DeleteThat would mean he gets paid like one of the best in the league. Is he? Absolutely not.
No team has offered him top tier money because he is still under contract and they can't. What does it matter that other teams have also had QB issues?
I will agree that he is worth mid-level money, but after one pretty decent year do they really want to make him the man? Has he done enough to have faith in him going forward? He sucked last season when he started, and hasn't always played well this year. So I would say no.
Let Captain Kirk walk and fire Gruden at end season! We aren't going anywhere with these guys.
ReplyDelete