The Jets are planning to aggressively pursue Kirk Cousins in free agency, but their intentions don’t appear to include changing the way NFL contracts work.
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports the Jets are not planning a history-making contract offer that would include $60MM in the first year. This was recently suggested, but Mehta reports the franchise is not prepared to wildly overspend to land the 29-year-old quarterback.
However, sources informed Mehta the Jets would “absolutely love” to add Cousins. But they won’t be radically changing the NFL landscape by offering the passer a fully guaranteed deal.
Another recent report indicated Gang Green was willing to spend “whatever it takes” to land Cousins, and while the Jets are in position to outmuscle the Broncos or Cardinals or Vikings or other possible suitors that aren’t the Browns (who are projected to hold $110MM-plus in cap space), Mehta reports the Jets are not planning to wildly overspend for Cousins. The Jets could have more than $90MM in space if they are to make certain logical cuts — which they’ve already started to do after not picking up Ben Ijalana‘s option — and the gap between Cousins and other veteran UFA quarterback solutions does look wide considering the former Redskins QB’s experience and lack of injury history.
Talk about how crazy the Jets are going to get in the Cousins sweepstakes has amused some at team headquarters, per Mehta, who adds the team does expect a few other teams to join them in chasing the seventh-year passer. The Jets expect three other teams to be strong suitors, but of the Broncos/Browns/Cardinals/Vikings/Bills group, Mehta notes the team doesn’t anticipate all of those teams being aggressive buyers here. The Jaguars may be considering a foray, but they could be hamstrung by Blake Bortles‘ physical.
Cousins has repeatedly said he wants to join a team that can contend immediately. The young Jets roster may take some time to move into position to do so, but if New York’s offer is well north of the competition’s, a decision to turn it down would obviously be difficult. Although it doesn’t appear the Jets are as full-speed-ahead intent on winning this race as has been suggested, they still may be the most aggressive team in this unique derby.
Then they won’t be signing Cousins. If the money is even remotely similar there’s no way he chooses the Jets over the Broncos, Vikings, or Jags.
He’s not going to the Jags.
Wrote this before Bortles signed obviously.
Kirk Cousins literally lives in his wife’s parents house come the off-season. Money is not a major factor for him. It’s about being somewhere he belongs.
I heard it actually was her grandparents attic Bc her parents were in the basement…
He does it because he’s good with money, not because he doesn’t have any.
Really, because if you have read about Captain Kirk the last two years it’s always been about how much money he can bank… and he is currently building a house in Mich. … so guess again
I’d be shocked if he doesn’t end up in Denver
Do not sign Cousins, he is overrated. His stats look nice because his team is always down and those are garbage time stats. Look at Blake Bortles. Identical statistics. Draft a QB if not it doesn’t matter go with best players available we’re still far from competing. We can get a QB next year
Umm Kirk has way better stats than Bortles.
I think the real question is does he deserve to be paid with and above the top seeded QBs in the league… the answer to that is nope guys… the good ones find a way to get it done, so you see stats are all wonderful but they are not the promised land!
I mean a team being down isn’t always on the QB. And Blake Bortles’ identical stats helped get the Jags to the playoffs. I’m sorry, who was the last Jets QB to take them to the playoffs? The Sanchise?
That team relied on a very good defense and a strong ground game. Sanchez wasn’t exactly a plus nor a minus.
Totally agree. I worry because Mikey Mack and Bowles if they don’t put out a winner are finally gonna be gone. So do they overspend now to be as competitive now and mortgage our future? Hope not
Whomever from jets said earlier in week they’d be willing to give cousins 60 mil in first year is now like Obama, unemployed 🙂
If you wanna call making $50K+ an hour on the lecture circuit unemployed, sure…
Bc no team is gonna outright say, hey we’ll over pay! Sign with us. We’ll see what happens once fa opens once players start to fall teams will feel the pressure, esp teams like the jets who no one will want to go to for less then top dollar.
What have the Redskins done under Cousins, the Jets are far way from competing, theyre 2-3 years away man. Why commit so much money for a guy that’s not going to make much difference. He’s an average QB. Get a running game and a great defense and the QB doesn’t matter as much. If we draft a QB and bring him along slowly things can work out. Just don’t get Cousins. Overrated
I agree that Cousins is overrated in the sense that he doesn’t really deserve the “Highest paid player in the NFL” designation, but he’s a solid QB and would be the best QB the Jets have had since either Pennington or an old Favre. He doesn’t fit their current timeline though. They need to get a veteran bridge QB and draft-and-develop a rookie QB behind him.
In Cousins’ defense, the rest of the Redskins’ roster wasn’t anything too special. Their line was good and they played well when they have Jackson and Garcon, but there was a significant drop off in talent after they left. Their RB situation was injury filled, Jordan Reed is always an injury risk, and their secondary seemed to be hit-or-miss.
Bottom line there D has basically sucked the last two years.. it got just a tad bit better this year but Vouains has his chances and pretty much didn’t get it done and that’s on him
I hope they don’t sign him. We are so far from “winning now” so why waste all that cap money on him? Rebuild and do it right. Maybe Mikey Mack doesn’t screw up in the draft this time and gets someone who will actually play some snaps or maybe be great! Yea right.