PFT: Washington’s plan for Kirk Cousins is simple: Keep him and look for someone else

PFT: Washington’s plan for Kirk Cousins is simple: Keep him and look for someone else

I don’t have much of a bucket list (other than to not kick the bucket for as long as possible), but if I had one, it possibly would have included “write Peter King’s MMQB column.” And it would now include this extra word: “Once.” After six years of spending every regular-season Sunday with King, I…

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So, I've assumed all along that the team's decision to franchise Kirk was just a straightforward proposition based on a couple things:

1) The team is pretty damn impressed with Cousins and expects him to continue to shine this year, perhaps even to the extent that it becomes clear he is a potential top 5 NFL QB. But there's still a little doubt - so why not franchise him and validate those beliefs are well-founded?

2) Kirk wants more $$ currently than he has *proven beyond a reasonable doubt* (to date) that he deserves. The smart thing to do is to be cautious, make him prove it this year, and then pay the man if he's able to continue looking like 'the man'.

I think those two things make the Skins approach to Kirk's contract very reasonable to date.

The article seems to state as a fact 'McCloughan believes that if they are not able to work out a reasonable deal with Kirk, that they can easily find a QB of comparable talent for a much better deal'. The article also implies the Redskins approach is foolish because if Kirk does have a great 2016, the Redskins will pay through the nose to keep him around.

But how much truth to those assumptions is there?

First of all, I seriously doubt that McCloughan views Cousins as some 'plug and play' journeyman as the article implies. I think McCloughan views Cousins as a future star, and that the franchise tag is less about skepticism regarding Cousins ceiling, and more about good common sense (ie...delaying a decision they don't have to make now in order to have a larger pool of data). Secondly, there's the assumption that Cousins will want the Redskins to break the bank should he have an equal or better 2016 season. I doubt that's the case. Cousins wants to get paid. He's really in a similar spot to that of Joe Flacco a couple of years ago, believing he is a top tier guy in the making, and betting that the team will soon be forced to agree and pay the man. There's no doubt Kirk is business and contract savvy, and he's going to make the team pay handsomely for his services. I also believe however, that as much as Kirk wants to be paid, he wants to win just as badly. He's not going to cripple the team with some outrageous salary demand knowing that it will prohibit the signing or acquisition of talent he'll need to take it to the next level. I just don't believe he's that guy.

If I were to believe the team is prepared to let Cousins go next year, regardless of how well he performs, because we can find someone off the street just as good - that would really, really piss me off. I choose to believe this is standard PFT muckraking/instigation.

I read this article earlier and didn't agree with it. I'm sure McCloughan has a plan going forward, but I think he knows it's not easy to find a QB off the streets that can be successful. I have no issue with the Skins wanting to see if Cousins can duplicate what he did down the stretch last season. Cousins play very well last year, but he didn't show it for all 16 games. I don't fault the Skins for being cautious and wanting to see if it was a fluke or not.

Just as a I don't fault Cousins for not taking a deal for less than what he thinks he's worth. If he has a year like he did last season, he'll get paid, either by the Skins or someone else. IMO, Cousins is the one taking all the risk here. If he plays well again, the Skins will know they have their QB and Cousins gets paid one way or the other. If he goes back to pre-2015 Kirk, that $16M/yr he turned down may be the best offer he sees. For our sake, I hope we end up having to pay him big money next year because that means we found our guy.

MattFancy said:

I read this article earlier and didn't agree with it. I'm sure McCloughan has a plan going forward, but I think he knows it's not easy to find a QB off the streets that can be successful. I have no issue with the Skins wanting to see if Cousins can duplicate what he did down the stretch last season. Cousins play very well last year, but he didn't show it for all 16 games. I don't fault the Skins for being cautious and wanting to see if it was a fluke or not.

Just as a I don't fault Cousins for not taking a deal for less than what he thinks he's worth. If he has a year like he did last season, he'll get paid, either by the Skins or someone else. IMO, Cousins is the one taking all the risk here. If he plays well again, the Skins will know they have their QB and Cousins gets paid one way or the other. If he goes back to pre-2015 Kirk, that $16M/yr he turned down may be the best offer he sees. For our sake, I hope we end up having to pay him big money next year because that means we found our guy.

Click to expand...

That's exactly where I am too Matt! I will say, on 2nd thought, the Flacco analogy isn't a great one - because Flacco negotiated a contract that damn near DID cripple the Ravens in terms of their cap space. I wouldn't expect Kirk to have that mindset. I hope I'm right about that.

It's a win for the team and for Kirk, if he plays at a high level next year. It's a win for the team (from a contract/financial perspective) for the team, and a lose for Kirk if he underperforms. So it's a Win/Win for the team IMO. Yes, the team will be on the hook for more money if he proves to be the guy, but they'll know better that he is the guy and gladly pay.

More PFT bullshit...

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/07/18/washington-works-out-jimmy-clausen/


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Did Chris Russell write those articles... ? He seems to be the most personally butthurt that KC1 is only making $20m next season.

I can see the logic. FO wants to see him do it again and will gladly pay more over more time if he can. They're just not sure whether that's the case and don't want to take that risk this year, even if it means saving a few bucks. Why these guys take it so personally when it's not their money is beyond me. The cap will continue to rise, so what's the biggie?

Nick

Look, the total collapse of Kirk Cousins in the 2nd half of the Green Bay playoff game last year left me, one of his biggest supporters, questioning a long term deal. I think Cousins was a tremendous steal in the draft, I think he can be a solid QB in the long run, but for him to be considered a top tier QB at this stage is premature.

Sitting in the front row watching Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins in that game last year, you could see what elite QB play looked like in Rodgers. I know there were varying factors like the collapse of our defense, but Couisns started throwing poor passes when the pressure was on, like he's done throughout his career. He has gotten much better and I believe he will continue to get better, but I do not feel a multi-year, exaggerated contract was worth it. Pay him 20 million this season and if he lives up to it, give him a contract next year, a franchise QB is worth it. How many times have we heard that before?

True - but that's hardly a fair comparison - first playoff test ever for young Luke, right?


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Boone said:

True - but that's hardly a fair comparison - first playoff test ever for young Luke, right?


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Nope he had about 20 minutes of playoff time prior to...Seahags game when Griffin went down.



But that wasn't my point, I wasn't trying to compare just the quality of the players, merely point out that Cousins wasn't to Rodgers level, thus he should not get Rodgers pay.

Edit: I think there are still enough flaws in Cousins game that he should not be given a long term, top tier contract. I agree with one year at the franchise rate, because he has more to prove. A playoff win or 2 in tough circumstances would go a long way to cementing that. Hell...a couple of prime time late game victories would help.

I'll buy that for a dollar

Boone said:

More PFT bullshit...

Washington works out Jimmy Clausen | ProFootballTalk


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PFT isn't the only one misleading their audience with this shit. CSN Mid-Atlantic is running the same headline.

"WITH NO LONG-TERM DEAL FOR KIRK COUSINS REDSKINS WORK OUT ANOTHER QB"

People cannot be stupid to believe Claussen was brought in to replace Cousins because he didn't re-sign, can they?

Team Clausen or Cousins....who ya with?!?!

There was a time, not that long ago, when a team bringing in a vet QB for a look-see prior to camp, as a due-diligence exercise in preparation for a long season and the real possibility of injury to current QB's, would have been a business-as-usual blip on the radar. And then came the interweb.

I agree with E. cousins is not "legit" elite yet. Buts he's good enough for us. And I think I know why. McClou didn't have to come in and be immediately confronted with having to get the "franchise" QB to start the rebuild. He had the luxury of building the lines first (which was his stated goal). That fits well with McClou's plan, so he has a vested interest in seeing Kirk do well, and do well enough to earn a long term deal. That buys valuable time to solidify the rest of the roster, which we needed badly for many years. McClou also knows, its a little premature, as E say, to go out on a long term limb with Kirk at this time. Too soon to show your cards, let the smoke clear first. Starting with the Steelers will tell all alot about where Kirk is and what to expect this year. He has to beat the contenders to be considered legit.

I'd have preferred to lock him up this summer, but don't see this as a huge deal one way or the other. The cap will continue to rise, meaning that a deal done today will look like a steal next off season, which will look a steal the following off season and so on. If Kirk strings together a really nice, consistent season, we will shake our collective heads at the size of the deal for a few months, then marvel at what a great deal we got a year later.

I kind of thought that it was pretty normal and a given that a pro football team is always looking for that next great QB?

Cousins played the schedule the league gave the team last year. The fact he lit up some poor clubs is in fact new for this team as we saw Griffin struggle and make the same Buccaneers, Eagles defenses look competent.

So he did what he was supposed to do.

Aaron Rodgers since the 2010 season hasn't taken the Packers through the NFC playoffs even though he may be the best qb in the NFL.

No matter how good a qb is he needs time to throw and receivers that hold onto the ball.

A defense that provides turnovers and a short field helps as well.

The Redskins inability to build a competent defense over the past 4-5 years has really held the team back as much as the mess with the qbs.

PFT. That says it all. Just another convenient hit piece.

The one constant for me is the professional and judgmental opinions of Scot McCloughan. He is the one that I trust the most in this organization. I am convinced that he made the correct call. If our esteemed GM had given Cousin Kirk a contract last week that was signed, then I would've supported the decision. I fully trust in Scot.

The only scenario I've heard that would cause concern would be if our GM, money guy and Kirk's agent had all been same page, but Dan Snyder had ultimately balked at writing the check for whatever reason. That's been bandied about some on spots talk radio. If it were true, it could represent the first known potential crack between ownership and the GM--not to mention would probably not sit very well with the QB and other players who might get wind of it going forward.

Personally, I don't buy it, but I suspect some probably do.