Kirk Cousins

Redskins Notes: Cousins, Gruden, Doctson

Although reports of a potential trade being on the table have surfaced in recent weeks, Jay Gruden expects Kirk Cousins to be back with the Redskins in 2017. “I totally anticipate him coming back to the Washington Redskins,” Gruden said, via JP Finlay of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Gruden said he’s texted back and forth with Cousins this offseason. Washington is in a similar situation with its starting quarterback compared to last year, although the franchise tag price will escalate to $23.94MM due to the team having used this on its passer in 2016. Cousins is thought to be targeting that $23.94MM threshold as an AAV goal, which would make him the third-highest-paid quarterback in the league on a per-year basis. Washington is projected to hold just more than $60MM in cap space — prior to any action on Cousins, of course.

Here’s more regarding the player who may soon become the Redskins’ franchise QB, along with more coming out of Washington.

  • A scenario in which the Redskins use the tag and then trade Cousins would cost the 49ers — mentioned as one of the prospective suitors, especially if former Washington OC Kyle Shanahan takes the HC job as expected — more than the No. 2 overall pick, Mike Jones of the Washington Post writes. Considering the Redskins’ run of quarterbacks since their 1991 Super Bowl title, and even the team’s second and third Super Bowl championships came with second-tier veterans at quarterback, Jones argues Cousins is a known commodity compared to the alternative of attempting a reboot without such a passer. Regardless, if the team pursued that, Washington should be able to ask for a first-, a second-, and possibly a third-round pick, Jones writes.
  • Gruden having to go with may his third or fourth choice in the form of Greg Manusky as DC puts his fate in Washington in the coordinator’s hands to a degree, Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com notes. Tandler expects Gruden to be on the hot seat entering 2017 thanks to a seven-loss 2015 season being his high-water mark in three years. The OC behind Washington’s No. 3-ranked offense is now in Los Angeles, and Gruden will be counting on Manusky — who takes command of a 28th-ranked defense — and GM Scot McGloughan to provide defensive improvement and thus a long-term path for him in D.C. Cousins figures to factor into this equation, too.
  • Josh Doctson has not progressed especially well in his recovery from the Achilles’ tendon injuries that hijacked his rookie season, Jones reports. Gruden said the wideout hasn’t received clearance to run without restrictions but added the team will take it slow with its 2016 first-rounder. Doctson should be needed this season, with the Redskins likely to lose at least one, and possibly both, of their veteran duo of Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson in free agency.
  • Jordan Reed won’t need offseason shoulder surgery after seeing a separated shoulder sideline him late in the season, Gruden said (via Jones).

AFC Notes: Cousins, Jets, Steelers, Bengals

The Jets’ decision to hire Todd Bowles as their head coach instead of Dan Quinn in 2015 may have cost them a chance to acquire then-backup quarterback Kirk Cousins from the Redskins, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Quinn’s offensive coordinator in Atlanta, Kyle Shanahan, would have come with him to New York but would not have wanted to work with Geno Smith, sources told Mehta. Shanahan would have pushed to acquire Cousins, whom he knew from their time together in Washington in 2012. A big Cousins fan, Shanahan was reportedly “integral” in the Redskins’ drafting of the ex-Michigan State signal-caller. Along with Shanahan, Quinn would have brought former Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik with him to work in the Jets’ front office. Dominik is close with Redskins president Bruce Allen, and their friendship could have further helped lead the way to a Cousins trade, writes Mehta.

As we ponder what could have been, here’s more from New York and a few other AFC cities:

  • While Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is considering retirement, it will be a surprise if the 13th-year man doesn’t return in 2017, sources told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). In the seemingly likely event Roethlisberger does come back for his age-35 season, the Steelers should still give serious thought to using a high-round pick on a potential successor, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
  • The Jets’ previously reported interest in Saints wide receivers coach John Morton has already led to an interview. The two sides met Tuesday, and Morton remains in the running for the job, reports Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.
  • It appeared the NFL had lifted running back Karlos Williams‘ 10-game suspension when the Steelers brought him back on a reserve/futures deal Monday, but that’s not the case. Williams still has one game remaining on the substance abuse-related ban the league handed him in November, tweets Fowler. He’ll be eligible to take the field again in Week 2 of next season.
  • The belief is that the Bengals are talking to pending free agent kicker Randy Bullock about a new contract, writes Geoff Hobson of the team’s website. Re-signing Bullock wouldn’t stop the Bengals from searching for other options at the position, notes Hobson. The 27-year-old Bullock didn’t join the Bengals until mid-December, when they claimed him off waivers from division-rival Pittsburgh after releasing Mike Nugent. Bullock, who was a member of three teams in 2016 (the Giants were the other), connected on 5 of 6 field goal tries and all six extra points in three games with Cincinnati.
  • The Broncos made a minor change to their Vance Joseph-led staff Tuesday, promoting special teams quality control coach Chris Gould to assistant special teams coach. They’re also set to retain Klint Kubiak, the son of previous Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, as their offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post.

Redskins To Shop Kirk Cousins?

With quarterback Kirk Cousins unsigned as free agency approaches, the Redskins are willing to weigh their options with the 28-year-old and could entertain trading him, a Washington source told Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). In addition to the previously reported 49ers, the Browns would likely chase Cousins if the Redskins were to shop him, according to Cole.

The 49ers would consider surrendering the No. 2 pick in the draft to land Cousins, per Cole, which jibes with what ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote Friday. Plus, with Kyle Shanahan set to take over as San Francisco’s head coach, the team would have an obvious connection to Cousins. Shanahan was the offensive coordinator in Washington during Cousins’ rookie year, 2012. Cousins only attempted 48 passes that season as the backup to then-rookie sensation and now-Brown Robert Griffin III, but he might have ended up in a different organization if not for Shanahan. The Redskins used a fourth-round pick to select Cousins, and Shanahan was “integral” in making that happen, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Conor Orr of NFL.com).

Kirk Cousins

Whether via the $23.94MM franchise tag or a long-term deal, Cousins will come at a high price tag next season. That wouldn’t pose a problem for the 49ers’ cap situation, as they currently have upward of $81MM in room as March nears. It would be even less of an issue for Cleveland, the only team with more spending space than the Niners. While the Browns will lose a large chunk of that $108MM-plus when linebacker Jamie Collinsmega-extension becomes official, they’ll still easily pace the NFL in available money.

In joining the Browns, who possess the first and 12th picks in this year’s draft, Cousins would head to a team with an offensive system akin to the Redskins’. Browns head coach Hue Jackson and the Redskins’ Jay Gruden were both offensive coordinators in Cincinnati before taking on their current roles and share similar philosophies.

Cleveland, which is coming off a one-win showing in Jackson’s first year at the helm, will have the opportunity to select any signal-caller it wants in the draft and is reportedly high on North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson. Unlike Trubisky, Watson or any other draft-bound QB, Cousins has already emerged as a quality pro and represents a far more established passer than anyone in this year’s flawed class. While Cousins alone wouldn’t turn the Browns into contenders, perhaps he’d help them accelerate their rebuild and start inching toward relevance.

49ers Could Pursue Kirk Cousins

The 49ers could soon have a well-regarded offensive mind at the helm if Kyle Shanahan accepts their forthcoming head coaching offer. As the Falcons’ offensive coordinator, Shanahan has worked with a high-end quarterback in Matt Ryan over the past two years. In San Francisco, regardless of whether Colin Kaepernick opts out of his contract, Shanahan arguably wouldn’t inherit a starting-caliber signal-caller – let alone one in Ryan’s stratosphere.

Kirk Cousins

Given the 49ers’ lack of appealing options under center, the Shanahan-led team could attempt to acquire Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason, writes Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. No player in the NFL has more leverage than Cousins, posits Schefter, as the pending free agent will either end up as the Redskins’ franchise player again on a $23.94MM salary in 2017 or sign a long-term deal with someone – be it Washington or another club.

As PFR’s Dallas Robinson detailed Thursday, striking a multiyear pact with Cousins before next season would be the optimal outcome for the Redskins. There’s no indication the two are moving toward an accord, though, and Cousins is reportedly looking to become the league’s third-highest-paid QB on an annual basis.

In the unlikely event the Redskins allow Cousins to hit free agency this winter, the Niners “would pursue him as hard as they’ve pursued Shanahan,” according to Schefter. But even if Washington tags Cousins, that still might not deter the 49ers from chasing him, per Schefter, who suggests they could put together a package centering on their first-round pick – No. 2 overall – to acquire the soon-to-be 29-year-old. That would perhaps be enough for the Redskins to part with Cousins, as it would cost them an unappetizing $34.48MM to tag him again next year.

While the Redskins have plenty of cap space this offseason, no NFC team has more than San Francisco. The 49ers’ $81MM-plus in spending space for 2017 will only increase with Kaepernick’s likely departure, and the franchise is also set to have plenty of cap room over the next few years. That would seem to make a Cousins pursuit realistic from at least a financial perspective, then.

From a football standpoint, Cousins would be the 49ers’ best QB in years if they were to pick him up. The five-year veteran has posted strong performances in each of his two campaigns as a starter. While the 8-7-1 Redskins weren’t able to replicate their playoff-bound 2015 showing this season, Cousins nonetheless stood out with a 67 percent completion rate, 4,917 yards (only Drew Brees and Ryan had more) and 25 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.

PFR’s 2017 Free Agent Power Rankings

The regular season is over and, for most teams, the offseason is underway. Here is the latest installment of our 2017 NFL Free Agent Power Rankings, which is comprised only of upcoming unrestricted free agents, and is ranked by projected guaranteed money. In parentheses next to each player, you’ll find their position in the November edition of the rankings. For more, check out our master list of all 2017 free agents.

2017 Free Agent Power Rankings With Text (vertical)

1. Kirk Cousins, QB (1): In 2015, Cousins established himself as a solid NFL quarterback. That summer, the Redskins told Cousins they wanted him to prove it all over again before giving him a monster contract. Cousins was happy to oblige and he has now increased his value even further. After a so-so start to 2016 season, Cousins closed out strong to finish as Pro Football Focus’ No. 8 ranked QB, putting him ahead of notables such as Matthew Stafford, Ryan Tannehill, Andy Dalton, Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Newton, and Philip Rivers. All of those players have gotten their big pay day and now it’s time for Cousins to join the club. "<strong

2. Chandler Jones, LB/DE (2): Before you start salivating over the idea of Jones joining your favorite team’s front seven, we have some bad news: Bruce Arians says the Cardinals will place the franchise tag on him if they cannot agree on a long-term deal. Whether it’s on a one-year, $16.955MM deal or a multi-year contract that tops Olivier Vernon‘s Giants deal, it sounds like Jones is staying put. Jones, 27 in May, played in all 16 games this year and racked up 11 sacks.

3. Kawann Short, DT (4): Contract talks between the Panthers and Short stalled last summer and Fletcher Cox‘s market-boosting deal with the Eagles didn’t help matters. Short wound up playing 2016 for peanuts ($1.473MM) and he turned in yet another stellar season. Short was the fourth-best interior defender in the league this season, per Pro Football Focus, and his 87.7 overall score was roughly the same as his 2015 mark, even though he had five less sacks. In June, it was said that the Panthers did not want to go too far beyond an average annual salary of $15MM. If he’s not franchised tagged or signed to a long-term deal by Carolina, there are a few teams that will happily go beyond that point.

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NFC Notes: Cousins, 49ers, Bears, Lions

With a chance to collect upward of $58MM via the franchise tag over the next two offseasons, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins has plenty of incentive not to sign a contract extension, argues Adam Schefter of ESPN. If the Redskins do tag Cousins the next two years, as they did this season, they won’t be able to again after the 2018 campaign. Assuming Cousins continues the pace he has set since midway through last season, he would then have the rare opportunity to hit the open market as an established starting QB. Cousins is reportedly seeking nearly $24MM per year on a long-term deal, and Schefter adds that the Redskins would have to include guarantees in excess of the aforementioned $58MM to lock him up.

More from the NFC:

  • Currently amid a career-best season, 49ers contract-year tight end Vance McDonald is making a strong case that he’s worth re-signing, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. With 22 catches in nine games – all starts – the fourth-year man is on pace to easily eclipse the career-high 30 receptions he posted last season. McDonald has already found the end zone a personal-best four times, too, and is averaging a tremendous 17.4 yards per catch. “He’s one of our weapons on the offensive side of the ball and he runs better than most tight ends in this league,” head coach Chip Kelly said of McDonald, who’s on track to net a sizable raise over the roughly $800K salary he’s raking in this season.
  • The Bears entered this season needing to fully evaluate quarterback Jay Cutler, wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White, center Hroniss Grasu and cornerback Kyle Fuller, but they’re not going to emerge with clear answers on any of the quintet, opines John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. Three of those players – Cutler, White and Grasu – have seen the field either barely or not at all this year and won’t suit up again in 2016; Fuller has been out all season with a knee issue, though it appears the Bears will activate him from injured reserve soon; and the best player of the group, Jeffery, is a free agent-to-be who’s currently serving a four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. Cutler, White, Grasu and Fuller are under team control through next season. However, it’s doubtful Cutler will return, as Mullin notes, and Fuller’s inability to play has been inopportune for a team that will have to decide on his fifth-year option for 2018 in the offseason. A breakout campaign from White could have made it easier for the Bears to wave goodbye to Jeffery, on whom they placed the franchise tag last offseason, but a fractured fibula limited White to just four appearances this year. The 2015 first-rounder didn’t see the field at all as a rookie because of a stress fracture in his leg.
  • When speaking Friday, Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah made it sound as though fellow DE Armonty Bryant will return from his three-game suspension Sunday in New Orleans. “We’re looking forward to what he’s going to do for us this week,” Ansah said (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). If Bryant is indeed coming back right away from his ban, Detroit will have to make a corresponding move to open up a roster spot for him.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Redskins To Franchise Kirk Cousins Again?

SUNDAY, 10:58am: Despite a report from Albert Breer of TheMMQB indicating that the Redskins would not be willing to use the franchise tag on Cousins for a second consecutive year, ESPN’s Adam Schefter, like La Canfora, hears that Washington will indeed use the tag if it cannot reach a long-term deal with Cousins before free agency opens in March. Schefter adds that if the Redskins had to tag Cousins for a third straight year in 2018, it would cost the team over $34MM, which gives the quarterback some leverage heading into contract negotiations.

THURSDAY, 1:15pm: As we look ahead to the spring, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins stands as the top player on the free agent market. While big names like Chandler Jones, Kawann Short, Jamie Collins, and Dont’a Hightower are also eligible for free agency, Cousins stands to make the most money given the dearth of quality QBs in the NFL. In order to keep him, the Redskins are willing to use the franchise tag for the second year in a row, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.comKirk Cousins (Vertical)

Cousins is after a lucrative long-term deal, but a second franchise tag wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize. The tag would grant him a 120% raise on his current deal which comes out to roughly $23.94MM for 2017. Of course, that potential outcome also gives his reps a favorable jumping-off point for multi-year contract. If the Redskins allow Cousins to reach the open market, the bidding could get even higher and several teams in need of a signal caller have told La Canfora they will pursue him if given the opportunity.

Heading into today’s game, Cousins has a 6-3-1 record on the year with a 67.2% completion percentage. The advanced metrics aren’t as wild about his play, however. Pro Football Focus has Cousins ranked as just the 17th best QB in the NFL this year, behind Ryan Tannehill, Brian Hoyer, and Tyrod Taylor.

We should note that Albert Breer of The MMQB is hearing that the Redskins are unlikely to use the tag on Cousins. Here’s a full rundown of his latest column discussing the Washington QB and much more.

Kirk Cousins Seeking $23.94MM Per Year

The Redskins’ Kirk Cousins has continued to make the case this year that he’s a franchise quarterback, most recently completing 41 of 53 passes for 449 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-26 loss to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. The impending free agent stands to cash in over the coming months, and he’ll look to do just that after the season.

Kirk Cousins[RELATED: Cousins Tops 2017 Free Agent Power Rankings]

Cousins’ starting point for long-term contract negotiations will be $23.94MM per year, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com). Placing the franchise tag on Cousins in the offseason would also cost the Redskins $23.94MM – a notable increase from the $19.95MM salary he’s making this year as their franchise player.

Given his remarkable output since midway through the 2015 campaign, multiple general managers told Rapoport that Cousins is likely to receive upward of $20MM per annum on a long-term deal. After getting off to a rough start last year, his first as a starter, Cousins had a breakout Week 7 showing against the Buccaneers – the “You like that!” game – and hasn’t looked back.

As Wesseling notes, Cousins has completed 70.1 percent of throws with 43 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 8.4 yards per attempt and a 108.1 passer rating across his past 20 starts. The Redskins have also done their share of winning with the 2012 fourth-round pick, having gone 15-11-1 since he took the reins from Robert Griffin III entering last season, and the 6-4-1 club currently holds a wild-card spot a year after earning an NFC East crown.

There are conflicting reports over whether the Redskins would tag Cousins again, but it’s hard to imagine the team letting him hit the open market after the season. A quarterback-desperate franchise would surely dip into free agency and give Cousins $20MM-plus per year in advance of his age-29 season, which would make him the 13th signal-caller in the league to receive at least that much annually. If a team matches his asking price of $23.94MM, he’d fall behind only Andrew Luck, Carson Palmer and Drew Brees in average yearly value. It’s unknown how much guaranteed money Cousins is seeking, but Luck landed a league-high $87MM as part of the extension he signed over the summer. No other QB comes close to that figure, though both another salary cap increase and having several teams vying for Cousins’ services would certainly improve his odds of approaching it.

Albert Breer On Johnson, Cousins, Draft

We have conflicting reports on the Redskins and their plans for pending free agent Kirk Cousins. Earlier today, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported that the Redskins are willing to use the franchise tag on Cousins for the second consecutive year, if necessary. However, Albert Breer of The MMQB is hearing the opposite.

The Redskins still want to lock Cousins up, but Breer’s understanding is that they will only go so far to keep him. He also cautions that the team’s stance could change in the coming months.

Unless Cousins falls apart in the second half of the season, I would expect the Redskins to do whatever it takes to keep him under contract. Since being handed the job in 2015, Cousins has a 68.7% completion percentage, 7,257 yards, and 46 touchdowns against 18 interceptions. The Redskins might not want to pay him nearly $25MM/year on a new deal, but they also know that they won’t be able to replicate that production any other way.

Here’s more from Breer:

  • Eagles lineman Lane Johnson is fighting his 10-game suspension and Breer has the specifics on his argument. For starters, the performance-enhancing substance policy calls for a panel of 3-5 arbitrators, and Johnson’s reps note that there were only two assigned to his case. One of those arbitrators, James Carter, handled the Ray Rice investigation for the NFL and his cozy relationship with the league could be a conflict of interest, one that was not disclosed to Johnson. Johnson is also going after the NFLPA, in part because he says their Aegis Shield app for checking supplements did not flag what he was taking.
  • Executives around the NFL are high on Ohio State’s Marshon Lattimore. The cornerback appears to have better grades than former Buckeye Eli Apple did last season and that should put him in the first round. “He’s smooth—a good athlete with good ball skills,” said one AFC executive. “There’s not a lot bad to him. He’s a first-rounder.” Still, Lattimore will have to silence some concerns about his speed. “He’s big, strong, athletic, good ball skills,” one scout assigned to the Buckeyes said. “But you still feel like you need to see more, because he only has 11 career starts and they rotate three guys. You want to see his speed. I don’t know if he’ll run 4.4, and he hasn’t been tested like he will this weekend.”
  • Meanwhile, North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky could be in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick. The redshirt junior could choose to stay in school, but it would be hard for him to turn down such a golden opportunity. Two NFC execs pegged Trubisky as a Top 10 pick, praising his accuracy, vision, and overall arm talent. The Tar Heel’s biggest liability could be his perceived leadership ability. While there are no character concerns, Trubisky is not as outspoken and outgoing as some evaluators would like. The Browns are reportedly focusing on Trubisky.

NFC Notes: Romo, Cousins, Eagles, Saints

Tony Romo ran the scout team for 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills during today’s Cowboys practice, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (via Twitter) this a clear indication that the quarterback won’t be active this weekend. However, there is optimism for Romo’s return, as the 36-year-old was listed as a full participant in practice for the first time this year.

For what it’s worth, Romo’s teammates were excited for his return.

“He looks great,” linebacker Sean Lee told ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. “I mean he looks like he hasn’t missed a beat. His ability to throw the ball, I always say I’ve been here seven years and I haven’t been near a football when he goes against us just because of how great he is with this eyes, how quick he is with his release. It’s amazing taking the time off, he looks fantastic, like he hasn’t missed any time.”

Let’s take a look at some other notes from the NFC…

  • As the Eagles look to fill their final roster spot, coach Doug Pederson told Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com that wideout Paul Turner or cornerback Aaron Grymes could be possible candidates for the opening (Twitter link). Grymes, a former CFL standout, has been on the Eagles’ practice squad since late October. Turner, an undrafted free agent out of Louisiana Tech, has been on the practice squad all season.
  • Before signing linebacker Sam Barrington earlier today, the Saints looked at a handful of defenders. According to Nick Underhill of The Advocate (via Twitter), the team worked out linebackers James-Michael Johnson, John Lotulelei, Casey Matthews, and Jason Trusnik.
  • The Redskins final eight games will not only determine their playoff fate, but they’ll also determine quarterback Kirk Cousins‘ future in Washington, writes ESPN.com’s John Keim. Since the team is seeking consistency from their signal-callers, Keim takes a look at Cousins’ potential performances against his upcoming opponents.