Kirk Cousins Development Tracker

You've got a good memory, Fear.

And John, I imagine they can get something done that leaves the team with some reasonable outs after two years without too much pain.

A lot has to be considered before offering him that deal, but someone's going to pay him. I could see any of the following teams ready to go after him if we don't:

Jets
Cleveland
Houston
Minny
Arizona
Chicago
 
There are likely a few other less obvious teams that would take a serious look at Cousins too.

I know Denver let Osweiler walk, but there are very realistic scenarios where they may not even make the playoffs this year. Cousins or 7th rounder Trevor Siemian?

I'd hate to see him in Denver for the next 6 years.
 
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McD5 said:
I'd suggest Brad Johnson. He was competent. Not incredible, but he made good decisions and he could sling it.
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IDK that he did that much after he left with anyone else. 8 years, 3 teams, 40 wins, 33 loses. First two years in TB he did well. Might have been a good guy to hold on to but wouldn't say I missed him either. I don't think he ever came back and haunted the Skins with any of those other teams but the Redskins were pretty much torching themselves in those days.

Fear The Spear said:
Or the ex-Redskin QB that he played against, in that Super Bowl.
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Good points. But Gannon didn't do anything for like 7 years after the Skins released him. Might have worked out different but it didn't.

Basically, just trying to show it's rare to find a guy to lock up a lot of years with. Even ones that did pretty well. And how quickly that hot hand can turn to ice. Just because a guy winds up elsewhere maybe it was just that time was up. Yep keep him around and pay him well and be ready to move on and move on quickly if need be.
 
I'll just say I dread to even entertain the thought of Kirk playing on another team next season. ANY other team.
Just the thought that it's taken us decades to find a proven QB of this calibre (and for many other teams, it takes them that long, as well), and if we let him go, it could realistically take decades more, to find another one of this calibre.
 
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I agree with much of what's said here. :)

The points that rattle through my head in no particular order...

a) Kirk right now has the leverage to get a good deal. The Redskins have practically none. He's producing stats that are borderline Elite in many catagories, and he's been doing it since mid last season. Every QB has ups and downs, but he's looking more and more like a consistent player who is striving to get better all the time. If I had to wager I'd say that he's going to continue to learn and improve over time. The way he told Rodgers that he 'studied' him, I totally believe that. He seems like a pretty humble guy and it just seems like Kirk's thing, I wonder if being a back up to RGIII taught him a few things about the hunger it takes to be a starter and the work you have to put in to stay there. Point is he's playing really really well and there are going to be plenty of teams who WILL give him money is we don't, regardless of his playoff W/L record or RedZone difficulties. Teamswill believe that they can fix that, and there's no reason to think otherwise. We didn't have these problems last year, we were bad-ass in the redzone 12 months ago. There are so many teams out there in need of a GOOD QB, and some just need that player to push them to contender status. Minnesota for example. Or Houston. Or even Arizona to replace Palmer who's slumped badly this year.

b) If he walks it sets us back hugely. Massively. I know McCoy isn't the answer. I don't know enough about Nate. And unlike Dallas we don't have a stud at running back (much as I love FatRob) who can carry half the load and make life easy for a rookie QB. Dallas lucked out. They didn't plan this, they drafted Dak to back up Romo and got Zeke to take the pressure off Romo knowing that they had a monster O-line and Romo couldn't do it all. I think they had Playoff aspirations, but I think they're lying if they had any clue that the Dak and Zeke show would be anything like this. Point is you can't count on just being lucky enough to grab a QB in the draft that will plug and play and be great from day 1. How many times have teams tried and failed? If we don't sign Kirk I think we set ourselves back by at least a couple of years. Maybe more.

c) The Redskins have played the careful game with Cousins, which I like much better than jumping in with both feet based on a small sample size. (see: See the Houston Texans and Osweiller). While it may have cost us a bunch of money this year to Tag him, Scott refused to get burnt by having the the hot hand turn to ice the minute he crossed that palm with silver. It was an expensive audition, but we have now seen him over the better part of 2 seasons and how he plays and it's clear he's justs getting better. It may be that he still crashes and burns, but I don't see it myself. He doesn't look to me like a flash in the pan and I think the Redskins are coming around to that point of view if they haven't already. For the record if they tagged him another year I'd be ok with that, but I'd prefer the long term deal.

d) I think Scotty and Gru also are aware of the teams growth and the fact that they are on the verge of something big. I think the players sense it too. Could you imagine the fall out if they let Cousins go? Not just with the fan base but with any players who are up for free agency? With Cousins playing the way he is and with this team on an upwards trend it's going to be an attractive proposition to an free agents looking for a new team or our own free agents wanting to go or stay. Especially for players like Jackson or Garcon maybe who sense the end of their careers coming and may want a chance at a ring before they retire.

Granted this is me being SUPER optimistic, but I really believe we're on that path at the moment.
 
I think we're only entertaining him walking because our history with terrible decisions. I see no scenario where he is not a Redskins for 5+ more years, short of his play declining towards the end of his contract. He wants to be one of the bests. That's his driving motivation. Look at the greats. They get great playing in the same system for a long time for the most part. Anywhere else he goes, there's a huge risk of issues that could derail his goals. The team is improved by leaps and bounds and will clearly become a perennial contender with him at the helm and some adjustments to the D. It's too good a situation to walk away from. The fan base is regenerated. If Scott balks at Kirks deal, and Kirk looks to walk, I could see Scott being the one out the door. No way Snyder doesn't pay him, IMO. And I don't chalk that up to being a meddlesome owner. It's the right move, IMO. I love what Scott has done, but a franchise QB trumps a GM. If Kirk finishes out the season like he's going, no way he isn't signed. And frankly, I see no way Scott doesn't do the deal. His contract will seem huge now, but likely not so much in 3 years. It's a non issue.

On a similar note, MSN had it's power rankings up and we're at 9. Here's what they had to say. Puzzling.

"9. Redskins (9): Washington will have to franchise Kirk Cousins for $24 million in 2017 or otherwise bid on Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum or Blaine Gabbert. "
 
Yeah, what Steve said.

I think the last twenty years of pain and suffering have blinded us to the fact that while Kirk may not be the next Tom Brady, he is a DAMNED good QB - top 5-7 in the league. And 28 doesn't make him ancient. He can (and probably will) improve more. We're not going to magically replace him with a rookie who will be great somehow.

That magic horseshoe definitively does NOT reside in Ashburn.

Be happy with the guy, he looks amazing. Exercising caution is good; exercising stupidity is... well, stupid.
 
Well I think there's 100% chance Kirk is with us next season, at least. Since Scot can easily pull the franchise card next year as well, as a last resort.

In 2017, Scot be like, "Okay Kirk, you need to prove to us that that 56-0 drubbing of the Patriots in Super Bowl 51 was NOT a fluke."
 
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You can't let Cousins walk.

This would be Trent Green all over again if the Front Office allowed it to happen.

He's the best QB we've had here since Rypien.....we can't screw this up.
 
Ya, when we lost Green it hurt, but league bull shit with the sale of the team played into that to some extent. So, unless Mara pulls an infraction out of his ass, and finds a way to screw us, Cousins will be leading this team for the foreseeable future.
 
Kirk will be here, no doubt. But at his age, the contract should only entail his prime years coming up, and yes we should continue to bring in QB's to find the heir. We must have someone else on the team that can step in, because our history has been bad when we are stuck without a QB and trying like hell to find one.

As far calling Kirk a franchise QB, I am tired of that phrase. He is not a franchise QB. My threshold line in the sand is winning in the playoffs. That's what franchise qB's do. Kirk still has that to prove then we will be there. Kirk is on track to be a "franchise Romo guy". All stats and no playoff winning. So no, Romo was never a franchise qb in my mind and never will, but Kirk still has the upside.
 
micks113 said:
Kirk will be here, no doubt. But at his age, the contract should only entail his prime years coming up, and yes we should continue to bring in QB's to find the heir. We must have someone else on the team that can step in, because our history has been bad when we are stuck without a QB and trying like hell to find one.
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He's 28. He easily could play at a high level for another 8 years. Sign him to a long term deal. If we want to continue to draft Nate Sudfields along the way that's great. We can also keep Colt McCoy. I'm not sure what else you think we should do. Keep drafting first rounders ... just in case?

As far calling Kirk a franchise QB, I am tired of that phrase. He is not a franchise QB. My threshold line in the sand is winning in the playoffs. That's what franchise qB's do. Kirk still has that to prove then we will be there. Kirk is on track to be a "franchise Romo guy". All stats and no playoff winning. So no, Romo was never a franchise qb in my mind and never will, but Kirk still has the upside.
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We can argue over what to call him I guess, but he's a guy that needs to be re-signed.

I don't think most people think Detroit should let Matt Stafford go, or Atlanta should start looking to replace Matt Ryan, or Cincinnati should get rid of Andy Dalton, or Oakland shouldn't be thinking of keeping Carr around, or Tampa should be in the market for a new QB. Maybe those guys aren't Franchise Quarterbacks. By that criteria, there are about nine Franchise QBs in the entire league (and only three of them are under 30) and the rest of us should just keep waiting until that Perfect Guy shows up.

You can't do that. At some point, you have to take a chance. We've already held Cousins at arm's length for a season. This offseason we have to put up or shut up. That's just the way it goes.
 
Kirk hasn't won a playoff game.

Interesting point. But how many has he been in?

One.

And how many years has he been the day one starter?

Two.

And how many playoff games have the Redskins won before Kirk was the starter going back to Gibbs' final year in 1992?

One.

Cousins is not the reason this team hasn't won, in fact Kirk would probably be headed for the all-pro team (and conceivably a Super Bowl berth) if he played in Denver, Seattle, Oakland, or New England.

We might be headed closer to that destination ourselves if McCloughan and the front office had made the defensive front seven a priority in the offseason.
 
Henry said:
He's 28. He easily could play at a high level for another 8 years. Sign him to a long term deal. If we want to continue to draft Nate Sudfields along the way that's great. We can also keep Colt McCoy. I'm not sure what else you think we should do. Keep drafting first rounders ... just in case?



We can argue over what to call him I guess, but he's a guy that needs to be re-signed.

I don't think most people think Detroit should let Matt Stafford go, or Atlanta should start looking to replace Matt Ryan, or Cincinnati should get rid of Andy Dalton, or Oakland shouldn't be thinking of keeping Carr around, or Tampa should be in the market for a new QB. Maybe those guys aren't Franchise Quarterbacks. By that criteria, there are about nine Franchise QBs in the entire league (and only three of them are under 30) and the rest of us should just keep waiting until that Perfect Guy shows up.

You can't do that. At some point, you have to take a chance. We've already held Cousins at arm's length for a season. This offseason we have to put up or shut up. That's just the way it goes.
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I hear ya. I always thought "franchise QB" meant top 5, you say there are 9, its just semantics. That's why I don't like the term. I just want Kirk to be a playoff winning QB, I don't care about his ranking, or what title you want to anoint him with.

And yes keep drafting QB's. NOT 1st rounders, but we should all know that bringing in competition for the position is always a good thing, is it not? Bringing in the competition will insure Kirk plays at a high level AND we get the heir to wait in the wings. Maybe I'm the only one that looks at building a team like this.

Gibbs hit it big with three different winning QB's. But they all had competition, and history before that shows we had competition in Kilmer/Jurgy. That's what we want imho. Didn't we have Williams when we had Schreoder (sorry for spelling)? And who was the backup QB that went to SB with Chargers? Conklin? The QB position is one that you do want a starter at backup. Unlike other positions.
 
Bulldog's Twin said:
Kirk hasn't won a playoff game.

Interesting point. But how many has he been in?

One.

And how many years has he been the day one starter?

Two.

And how many playoff games have the Redskins won before Kirk was the starter going back to Gibbs' final year in 1992?

One.

Cousins is not the reason this team hasn't won, in fact Kirk would probably be headed for the all-pro team (and conceivably a Super Bowl berth) if he played in Denver, Seattle, Oakland, or New England.

We might be headed closer to that destination ourselves if McCloughan and the front office had made the defensive front seven a priority in the offseason.
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Yes you are correct on Kirk being in his early career (even at 28). That's why I said he has the upside we want. He certainly still has his "career" year in him, or even two-three "career" years.
 
micks113 said:
I hear ya. I always thought "franchise QB" meant top 5, you say there are 9, its just semantics. That's why I don't like the term. I just want Kirk to be a playoff winning QB, I don't care about his ranking, or what title you want to anoint him with.

And yes keep drafting QB's. NOT 1st rounders, but we should all know that bringing in competition for the position is always a good thing, is it not? Bringing in the competition will insure Kirk plays at a high level AND we get the heir to wait in the wings. Maybe I'm the only one that looks at building a team like this.

Gibbs hit it big with three different winning QB's. But they all had competition, and history before that shows we had competition in Kilmer/Jurgy. That's what we want imho. Didn't we have Williams when we had Schreoder (sorry for spelling)? And who was the backup QB that went to SB with Chargers? Conklin? The QB position is one that you do want a starter at backup. Unlike other positions.
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I guess I'm not sure what you are saying then. Should we not sign him to a big-time long-term deal? Should only five QBs in the league get deals like that?

I think we need to lock him up. Of course there's a risk that he'll just be a Romo or something, but outside of, literally, Russell Wilson, you don't get to wait until a guy's all-world or not before you have to make a decision. I think the decision should be to pay him and keep him.
 
And I don't think I've seen anyone suggest we sign Kirk and stop drafting QB's. If there's a starter caliber QB prospect available outside the first round, you have to take him. I don't think Kirk is any stranger to competition. ;)
 
stevenaa said:
And I don't think I've seen anyone suggest we sign Kirk and stop drafting QB's. If there's a starter caliber QB prospect available outside the first round, you have to take him. I don't think Kirk is any stranger to competition. ;)
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Speaking of which, wouldn't it be nice, just for once, if we could totally put a team away, to the point we could insert the Suds in a regular season game, just to see what he's really made of. At least, to see if he's got #2 QB potential. Or who knows, maybe even future trade bait.

Heck, we can even dream that we lucked out with him, like we did with the Cousins pick, and maybe Suds is a clone of Cousins. Then we'd have more leverage in negotiating with Cousins, and have a backup plan if Cousins walks, or keep Cousins, and get Two #1 picks for Suds. Yes, I realize the last 2 sentences are highly unlikely, hence the term "dream".
 
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