Kirk Cousins is almost certain to become a free agent in less than two months, and you can bet some team is going to pay him a lot more than he was reportedly seeking from the Washington Redskins just two offseasons ago.
As Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports points out, Washington had more than one opportunity to sign Cousins to a long-term deal before ultimately using the franchise tag on him. The first came when Cousins first became a starter, and former Redskins executive Scot McCloughan wanted to pay the quarterback $8 million per year over five seasons.
Remember – Dan Snyder wouldn't entertain 5-yr/$40M deal Scot McCloughan wanted offer Cousins when he became starter. Would still be signed..
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 31, 2018
That was before Cousins proved he’s one of the better QBs in the league, so you can almost let that slide. The three-year deal the Redskins could have signed Cousins to prior to the 2016 season is a much different story.
Before Skins tagged Cousins 1st time his camp proposed a 3-yr deal at $19.5M/yr w/ $40M guar. Snyder scoffed, ended up paying $44M for 2 yrs
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 31, 2018
As La Canfora notes, Washington paid Cousins more guaranteed money over a two-year span than he would have made in three years. Had the team signed him to the three-year deal in 2016, they’d have another season to sort through his contract issues and probably would not have traded a third-round pick and one of their better defensive players for Alex Smith.
For whatever reason, it seems like the Redskins could not wait to get rid of Cousins. Perhaps the 29-year-old told them he no longer wants to play in Washington. Whatever the case, Smith is going to have to play well to silence the critics, including some of the very high-profile ones.
