When the Washington football team used the franchise tag on Kirk Cousins, people were a bit confused. Despite leading the team to a losing season, Cousins had managed to nab them a playoff spot and even made it through until Aaron Rodgers stepped up. Even then, it seemed like Washington would offer him a mega-contract after losing RG3, but they didn’t and now the question has come up again. Does Kirk Cousins deserve a mega-contract or should the team let him walk in free agency?
Let’s first look at why he deserves a mega-contract. After a dismal season last year, Cousins somehow managed to limp the team to the playoffs. That has to be applauded from a team who failed to win more than 10 games in the previous 2 years. Known for interceptions, Cousins has kept them at bay since being named the starter.
Then there’s the fact that the team around him is actually pretty good especially TE Jordan Reed, WRs Desean Jackson, and Pierre Garcon as well as running back, Rob Kelley. Looking at his stats, Cousins is one of the top quarterbacks in the league with the second most passing yards in the league, sixth in total quarterback rating and fourth in the league in completion percentage. In the prime of his career, Cousins is dominating the league, but then there’s another side of the story.
Letting him walk into free agency could be a good idea for the team, because of Cousins’ age. Next season, Cousins will be 29 and who knows how many years he will have left. Another reason is Washington is unlikely to want to cough up the money Cousins thinks he deserves which has always been a problem. Moving on from Cousins could give Washington a fresh start if they so choose.
On the field, there isn’t much going against Cousins because he has been playing great. However, one playoff berth doesn’t exactly spell a franchise quarterback so if Cousins could sneak into a wildcard spot, then a contract could be worth it. If not, then early reports of a franchise tag might be necessary for the team who is still unsure about their quarterback.
Regardless, the answer for Cousins and his future with Washington isn’t simple. Much like ESPN NFL Nation writer, Kevin Seifert wrote “Are they the quarterbacks who inspired hope at times last season? Or were teams right to be wary about their return? We’ll soon find out.” The answer isn’t always there yet so who knows what Washington will do with Kirk Cousins?
