Cousins should be the target

[HighPitch]

On 12/1/2017 at 5:37 PM, Paradis said:

I don't care how you massage the numbers. In Contemporary NFL -- the facts are OVERWHELMINGLY in favor of drafting a QB, versus signing someone a team let go. It's not even close. 

Thats not even touching on the topic of "why the hell would Kirk sign with the NYJ over a team that's in a better position to win now". You couldn't pick a more undesirable landing spot if you're Cousins.

 

Hey high pitch agrees with you on this. How about that?

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This is a breakdown of Cousins' relationship with the Redskins and why I believe he is not going to sign a long term deal with them. Since he won't sign a deal with them then they won't franchise tag him. If he signs the tag then he'll be able to negotiate with other teams because he'll need a contract worked out prior to a deal being made; he'll determine what teams are in play for him. If that is indeed the case then why wouldn't those teams wait 1 more year and give up nothing for him when he's 31. This leaves the Redskins only option to Transition Tag him and make it look like they tried everything in their power to keep him around.

 

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The long answer: back in 2011-2012 off-season, Dan Snyder was tired of Mike Shanahan's crap regarding Rex Grossman and John Beck. It's still unclear who was responsible for the Donovan McNabb fiasco, but Shanny definitely held the bag for the next iteration of terrible QBs. So Snyder/Allen basically laid it out: Either Shanny takes Griffin with the number 2 pick, or he was fired. Shanahan didn't really want to, but he also didn't want to lose his job, so the deal was made, and Griffin was drafted.

Then came the fourth round and a guy named Kirk Cousins was selected by the Redskins. Shanahan played it off like he needed a backup, particularly for a mobile QB. And for at time, it was believable. Griffin excelled in the offense the Shanahans built for him. The Redskins went to the playoffs. The Nationals won 98 games. The Caps started to dominant. The DC sports curse was broken.

Before going on, you need to understand the relationship that Griffin and Snyder had. It was special. It was unique. Griffin was not treated like other players. Griffin was the blessed child. And SSnyder loved every minute of it. He'd been waiting for 15+ years for this moment. He had a young, hip, black franchise QB. And, yes, skin color was important here. Snyder had been besieged by his money grubbing tactics in the press, and the Redskins name controversy was not going away. Griffin being the franchise QB gave Snyder everything he needed to counter the social pressure around him. And he treated that guy like his own kid.

And  then Griffin was injured in the Seattle game. The curse remained alive. The fan base was stunned. Griffin was shook. But he rehabbed his *** off to get back. And then the nonsense started. He wanted the playbook changed. He didn't want to run as much option. He wanted to become a real pocket passer. The problem was, he'd never done it before. It became very obvious he couldn't do it. He didn't make basic reads. He couldn't make basic passes. Griffin could not operate as an NFL QB. But Snyder didn't care because that was HIS guy. Shanahan finally benched him at the end of the 2013 and Snyder fired Shanahan.

Jay Gruden was hired for the 2014 season. He was brought in to coach up Griffin. The guy who turned Andy Dalton into a pro-bowler. This was going to be the guy. Except ... Griffin still sucked. He got hurt in Week 2 and when he came back, he showed no progression until the last couple of games. Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen elected to pick up his option (15 million).

Now, during this saga, Cousins got chances and was up and down. Sometimes he flashed. Sometimes he struggled. There were questions about his attitude and demeanor. He allegedly asked for a trade.

During the 2015 preseason, Griffin got hurt. Cousins lept at the opportunity. He shined. He flat out won the job. Particularly down the stretch, Cousins was elite, taking the Redskins to the playoffs.

Prior to the season, the Redskins did something that truly hadn't done since Snyder was the owner: Get a general manager. At least from the outside, Scot McCloughan was totally in control of football operations. Bruce Allen was there to kiss babies, set up the homecoming game, and get Snyder a new stadium deal. We know now this wasn't the case, as McCloughan was nothing more than a glorified scout. During the 2015 season, McClough recognized that Cousins had the chops to be a very good NFL QB and started negotiating with his agent. Prior to the 2015 season ending, Cousins and his agent agreed to a deal that was essentially a 3 year, 19 million per year deal. McCloughan was stoked and took it to ownership, as, for obvious reasons, ownership has to sign off on that kind of deal

Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen said no.

You see, Cousins is the reminder of everything they screwed up and they didn't want to admit it. They felt Cousins was a flash in the pants and that he couldn't duplicate it. However both Gruden and McCloughan made it clear the team would face a lost season if Cousins was allowed to walk. Facing a dramatic drop in ticket sales to accompany the never ending PR nightmare that was the Redskins' front office, Snyder/Allen chose to franchise him. They bet he couldn't sustain his end of 2015 performance. Once again, they were wrong. Cousins lit it up. Dude put up elite numbers.

Meanwhile, two major things happened during the 2016-2017 offseason. The QB market continued to explode, with guys like Mike Glennon getting a huge deal, and Derek Carr getting a monster one. It was obvious that the original 19 million a year deal simply wasn't going to cut it. It was also obvious that Cousins was more than satisfied with being franchised again. Given the amount of money they guaranteed him, I don't blame him. But Cousins says all the right things, became a leader on the field, and learned to deliver in the clutch.

The second issue was the massive dysfunction that had come to a head at Redskins park. Allen had basically forced McCloughan out, with tales of heavy drinking being circulated throughout the media. McCoughlan wasn't at the combine and in March, was let go. Bruce Allen held press conferences and radio interviews with Tennessee sports talk radio, alleging  problems with McCloughan. The Redskins again elected to franchise Cousins, in the hope of working out a long term deal.

Which did not happen, and  in July of 2017, Bruce Allen held a press conference at Redskins Park where he informed everyone that "K-U-R-T Cousins" turned down $53 million guaranteed. Yes, Kurt. The president of the team mispronounced the first name of the franchise quarterback. Six freaking times. He chose his words carefully, saying that the contract would guarantee $53 million and make him the second highest paid per year over the contract. What he failed to mention was they were already in for 24 million, so the guarantee was only about 20 million more and the deal was fairly backloaded. Cousins' agent did not counter offer.

So Cousins is playing another year on the franchise tag, and despite losing his two 1000 yard receivers, he's second in passing yards. For his entire time in DC, Cousins has been brushed off and cast aside by ownership, who either didn't want him or refused to believe in him. He's been through two coaches and now three OCs. He watched as the GM who most believed in him was slandered in the press and embarrassingly drummed out of his job. He's watched the front office be one of the most inept and disingenuous in all of sports.

And now that same ownership is expecting to get some sort of home town discount. So yeah, that's why there isn't a deal despite three years. Because ownership didn't want to until it was too late.

 

[Philc1]

Cousins is getting franchise tagged again

[Pcola]

1 hour ago, Philc1 said:

Cousins is getting franchise tagged again

If they franchise him again it will cost them $32M.  And he’ll still be a FA after next season.  They are eventually going to lose him.  And it’s not like they could “make one last run” because the team around him is terrible.

The question for the Jets is simple.  Do they want to go with Josh McCown for one year and hope he can duplicate what he’s done this year for a mid level deal, or go after Cousins and solve your QB issues for at least the next 5 - 10 years but pay him.  

 

[JetFaninMI]

If they do sign Cousins they won't be drafting another QB. They will be surrounding him with talent. At least that's what a smart GM would do. If they invest that much money in a QB their 1st rounder should be the most talented OL in the draft. Then a RB with their first 2nd rounder and another OL with their other second rounder. I would also go after the top rated center in FA. They have to protect their investment and rightly so. That coupled with the needs on this team should be the top priority. I personally would rather they went old school and drafted a QB and built something that would last for years to come but instant gratification seems to be the wish here. I don't think they end up with him because you just don't let a guy go if he is any good. Alex Smith maybe the guy they get and if they do in that case I would take a QB in the first with the idea of looking to the future. I would still go heavy on the OL and at RB in the draft and FA. You can't win if you don't control the line of scrimmage.

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16 minutes ago, JetFaninMI said:

If they do sign Cousins they won't be drafting another QB. They will be surrounding him with talent. At least that's what a smart GM would do. If they invest that much money in a QB their 1st rounder should be the most talented OL in the draft. Then a RB with their first 2nd rounder and another OL with their other second rounder. I would also go after the top rated center in FA. They have to protect their investment and rightly so. That coupled with the needs on this team should be the top priority. I personally would rather they went old school and drafted a QB and built something that would last for years to come but instant gratification seems to be the wish here. I don't think they end up with him because you just don't let a guy go if he is any good. Alex Smith maybe the guy they get and if they do in that case I would take a QB in the first with the idea of looking to the future. I would still go heavy on the OL and at RB in the draft and FA. You can't win if you don't control the line of scrimmage.

They've tried to sign him to 2 big extensions and Cousins has opted out. I think the situation is one of the most unique that we've come across. I do agree there is no way we go QB if we sign Cousins, nor do I think we should. It's Cousins or draft a QB. No other free agent QB makes sense unless it's an obvious bridge to the rookie.

[Philc1]

2 hours ago, Pcola said:

If they franchise him again it will cost them $32M.  And he’ll still be a FA after next season.  They are eventually going to lose him.  And it’s not like they could “make one last run” because the team around him is terrible.

The question for the Jets is simple.  Do they want to go with Josh McCown for one year and hope he can duplicate what he’s done this year for a mid level deal, or go after Cousins and solve your QB issues for at least the next 5 - 10 years but pay him.  

 

The redskins are franchise tagging Cousins because they want the first round pick he will get on the open market

 

We did the same thing with Abe in 2006

[Philc1]

1 hour ago, JetFaninMI said:

If they do sign Cousins they won't be drafting another QB. They will be surrounding him with talent. At least that's what a smart GM would do. If they invest that much money in a QB their 1st rounder should be the most talented OL in the draft. Then a RB with their first 2nd rounder and another OL with their other second rounder. I would also go after the top rated center in FA. They have to protect their investment and rightly so. That coupled with the needs on this team should be the top priority. I personally would rather they went old school and drafted a QB and built something that would last for years to come but instant gratification seems to be the wish here. I don't think they end up with him because you just don't let a guy go if he is any good. Alex Smith maybe the guy they get and if they do in that case I would take a QB in the first with the idea of looking to the future. I would still go heavy on the OL and at RB in the draft and FA. You can't win if you don't control the line of scrimmage.

Pass, Cousins will cost us our first round pick plus his $30 million salary will eat up half our cap room

 

We have no legit #1 WR, no pass rusher and our OL is mediocre at best

 

Oh and he is not that good you guys act like he’s Brady

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3 minutes ago, Philc1 said:

The redskins are franchise tagging Cousins because they want the first round pick he will get on the open market

 

We did the same thing with Abe in 2006

That was before the rookie pay scale when teams were more likely to trade those 1st round picks. I don't think any team will trade for him when Kirk can decide he doesn't want to sign a long term deal and hurt his new team in a trade. I think teams would wait for next year to sign him and keep all their picks. I really don't think the Redskins are going to be able to keep him.

[Philc1]

Just now, bla bla bla said:

That was before the rookie pay scale when teams were more likely to trade those 1st round picks. I don't think any team will trade for him when Kirk can decide he doesn't want to sign a long term deal and hurt his new team in a trade. I think teams would wait for next year to sign him and keep all their picks. I really don't think the Redskins are going to be able to keep him.

Cousins will sign with anyone as long as they pay.  Cousins will be franchise tagged enough pretending like it won’t happen

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Just now, Philc1 said:

Cousins will sign with anyone as long as they pay.  Cousins will be franchise tagged enough pretending like it won’t happen

He was offered $53M last year and took the $24M. I could absolutely see him taking $34M and then waiting a year to let all 32 teams have a shot at him. That is $56M for 2 years with the potential for an additional $60+M if he waits 1 more year. QB is the most protected position in the NFL so I think the risk of injury is lower especially since he isn't using his legs too often. I think because of this the Redskins are kinda screwed.

[Philc1]

5 minutes ago, bla bla bla said:

He was offered $53M last year and took the $24M. I could absolutely see him taking $34M and then waiting a year to let all 32 teams have a shot at him. That is $56M for 2 years with the potential for an additional $60+M if he waits 1 more year. QB is the most protected position in the NFL so I think the risk of injury is lower especially since he isn't using his legs too often. I think because of this the Redskins are kinda screwed.

You think the jets are the only team interested in Cousins?  John Elway in Denver will offer a first round pick and pay him.  Ditto possibly for Arizona, Buffalo, Jax

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1 minute ago, Philc1 said:

You think the jets are the only team interested in Cousins?  John Elway in Denver will offer a first round pick and pay him

I'm not sure I see that happening, not only would Denver be giving up a top 5 pick but they have $22M in cap space so they will need to release players to make that work. Cousins will be able to decide if Denver is worth it without those players.

I think you could argue a team picking in the 20s but I'm not sure they'll have the cap space either. 

[JetFaninMI]

11 hours ago, bla bla bla said:

They've tried to sign him to 2 big extensions and Cousins has opted out. I think the situation is one of the most unique that we've come across. I do agree there is no way we go QB if we sign Cousins, nor do I think we should. It's Cousins or draft a QB. No other free agent QB makes sense unless it's an obvious bridge to the rookie.

Cousins has not "opted out" of anything. The Redskins tagged him 2 years in a row. What is the reason? Some point out the relationship between the team and player. Others point out he wants too much money or doesn't want to play there. We don't know the real reason. Only Cousins and the Redskins know the answer. Anything else is speculation. Do I want Cousins in the Green and White? NO. Too much money and too many holes on this team to tie up that much cap space on one player.

My previous post was what I think Macchole will do and what he should do IF they sign Cousins. I am a firm believer in building through the draft. I want them to go QB in the first and OFFENSE with their next 3 picks. Unfortunately Bowles and Macchole seem intent on winning games now and that means they seem to think they can build the skill positions through FA. I disagree with this wholeheartedly. It has never worked long term in the past and probably won't now. We are where we are now and if they win more games which is very likely the way they are starting to play they won't have a shot at any of the top QB talent. That's why I believe they are going the FA route. They might just re-sign McCown and call it a day which would be a big mistake without a back-up plan. Macchole's plan is not really clear here. Will Bowles become the scapegoat during the 2018 season so Macchole can bring in his own guy? Does Macchole even have a realistic plan? It doesn't look like it to me.

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12 minutes ago, JetFaninMI said:

Cousins has not "opted out" of anything. The Redskins tagged him 2 years in a row. What is the reason? Some point out the relationship between the team and player. Others point out he wants too much money or doesn't want to play there. We don't know the real reason. Only Cousins and the Redskins know the answer. Anything else is speculation. Do I want Cousins in the Green and White? NO. Too much money and too many holes on this team to tie up that much cap space on one player.

I shouldn't have said "opted out" the correct term is opted to play on the tag. Coach wanted to sign Cousins to a 3 year $19M per back when this fiasco started. Snyder didn't want to go that high. Fast forward to this past season and he was offered the 2nd highest deal in NFL history, he opted to play on the tag. My guess is he is dead set on hitting FA so he will either hit it this year or he will hit it after he steals $34M from the Redskins next year. I think the contract he signs is going to be similar to this year regardless how he plays so why not collect the $34M and be the most protected player on the field?

17 minutes ago, JetFaninMI said:

My previous post was what I think Macchole will do and what he should do IF they sign Cousins. I am a firm believer in building through the draft. I want them to go QB in the first and OFFENSE with their next 3 picks. Unfortunately Bowles and Macchole seem intent on winning games now and that means they seem to think they can build the skill positions through FA. I disagree with this wholeheartedly. It has never worked long term in the past and probably won't now. We are where we are now and if they win more games which is very likely the way they are starting to play they won't have a shot at any of the top QB talent. That's why I believe they are going the FA route. They might just re-sign McCown and call it a day which would be a big mistake without a back-up plan. Macchole's plan is not really clear here. Will Bowles become the scapegoat during the 2018 season so Macchole can bring in his own guy? Does Macchole even have a realistic plan? It doesn't look like it to me.

I think you are spot on in regards to what we should do. I think if we don't go the Cousins route we will go heavy offense in the top 4 picks. If we do sign Cousins I think we go Pass Rusher in round 1 and then heavy offense. I don't really see a situation where McCown is brought back and we don't have a rookie QB on the roster.