Kirk Cousins

Kirk Cousins Seeking $23.94MM Per Year

November 25th, 2016 at 6:10pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

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.

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

November 24th, 2016 at 1:44pm CST by Zachary Links

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

November 9th, 2016 at 7:16pm CST by Ben Levine

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.

Extra Points: Romo, Cousins, Giants, Browns

November 4th, 2016 at 9:33pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

It’s possible rookie sensation Dak Prescott has permanently taken Tony Romo‘s job as the Cowboys’ No. 1 quarterback, but the injured veteran still expects to start when he’s healthy enough. At the same time, he’s pleased with Prescott’s success. “Tony wants the organization to be left in good hands when he’s finished playing, and he can see that Dak is going to be that guy,” one of Romo’s friends told Jason King of Bleacher Report. “They’ve found his successor, and Tony is happy about that.” Romo returned to practice last week from the broken bone he suffered in his back during the Cowboys’ penultimate preseason game on Aug. 25. That injury opened the door for Prescott, who has helped the Cowboys to an NFC-best 6-1 start while posting superb numbers.

East Notes: Redskins, Garoppolo, Romo, Revis

September 20th, 2016 at 8:38pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

With the Redskins off to an 0-2 start, some of quarterback Kirk Cousins‘ teammates have reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with his early season output. That doesn’t surprise former Redskins linebacker Keenan Robinson, who spent the first three years of his career with Washington before signing with the Giants over the winter. “When I was there, three out of four years, it was the same thing,” he said Tuesday (via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com). “Once they get down, they start pointing fingers. And that is true. That is what happens. And for the Redskins — I’ve only been on one team before I came here, and that was them — and all I saw was not the right way to handle it. I feel like they didn’t handle it the right way when I was there.”

Robinson is glad to have left the Redskins in favor of the Giants, saying, “I like it here better. I would say that for sure.”

As we wait for this Sunday’s tilt between Robinson’s ex-team and his current one, here’s more from the East divisions:

The Redskins’ offseason decision to place the franchise tag on Cousins in lieu of signing him to a lucrative long-term deal looks prudent now, opines John Keim of ESPN.com. But if Cousins is unable regain something resembling his 2015 form, it’ll leave the team looking for a quarterback again, Keim notes. Ideally, he’ll emerge as a legitimate franchise-caliber passer and prove himself worthy of a major commitment for the foreseeable future.
On one hand, it’s possible quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will be the successor to Tom Brady in New England. On the other, Ryan Hannable of WEEI writes that Garoppolo might never play a meaningful snap as a Pat again once Brady returns from his four-game Deflategate suspension in Week 5. Brady is signed through the 2019 campaign, his age-42 season, and Garoppolo is only under contract through the end of next year. The best-case scenario for the Patriots would include retaining both, but that will look unrealistic as long as Brady continues as one of the league’s elite signal-callers.
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had a back exam and a brief pregame throwing session in Washington, D.C., over the weekend, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. One observer was surprised by Romo’s velocity and lack of restrictions. The 36-year-old is hoping to return sometime in October and it seems he is on track to do just that.
While Brian Costello of the New York Post expects cornerback Darrelle Revis to rebound from his early season issues, his $13MM salary for 2017 will still be an anvil, Costello opines. Cutting the 31-year-old Revis after the season would leave the Jets on the hook for $8MM in dead money, which means he’s likely to remain with the club, per Costello. In the Jets’ first two games this year, the five-time first-team All-Pro has given up 10 catches and 152 yards to Bengals receiver A.J. Green and allowed an 84-yard touchdown to a far less formidable wideout, the Bills’ Marquise Goodwin.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Latest On Redskins’ Kirk Cousins

September 19th, 2016 at 5:55pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

After the defending NFC East champion Redskins fell to 0-2 on Sunday with a 27-23 loss to the division-rival Cowboys, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported behind-the-scenes frustration in Washington. Specifically, some Redskins players have complained about the early season performance of quarterback Kirk Cousins, a source told Florio. Cousins acknowledged his teammates’ alleged frustration Monday, calling it “understandable” (per Breaking Burgundy.com).

“I have to play better. You take ownership, you step to the forefront and you lead and you challenge guys and you say what you need to do better,” said Cousins. “I think together, we can do that. That’s what I’m going to do. That’s what I’ve done my whole life, my whole life as a football player. This no different. This not new territory for me. I’ve faced challenges before, adversity before on the football field. We’re going to find a way to move forward and play better. We’re going to do it together.”

So far this year, Cousins hasn’t resembled the signal-caller who dominated during the second half of last season and helped the Redskins secure a division title. Cousins threw 19 touchdowns against two interceptions over the year’s final eight games in 2015, which led the Redskins to place the franchise tag on him in the offseason.

Now making $19.95MM as Washington’s franchise player, Cousins has tossed three picks against one score in two games, a pair of home defeats in which the Steelers and Cowboys outscored the Redskins 65-37. One major problem for Cousins thus far has been his work near the opposing end zone. As ESPN’s Ed Werder tweeted Sunday, Cousins failed to complete any of his five attempts, one of which went for an interception, inside the Cowboys’ 10-yard line in Week 2. Against Pittsburgh, he missed on two of three throws inside the 10 and also tossed a pick. During what seemed like a breakout showing last season, he amassed 16 scores and only one INT in the same area.

As the Redskins prepare for a crucial game this week against another NFC East opponent, the 2-0 Giants, head coach Jay Gruden is expecting a bounce-back effort from Cousins.

“Kirk’s game will take care of itself. We have total faith that Kirk will get it done,” he said Monday (via Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today). “And he will get it done. He has proven that he can be a successful quarterback in this league. He can make all the throws, without a doubt.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Teammates Unhappy With Kirk Cousins?

September 18th, 2016 at 8:47pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

After winning nine games last season en route to an NFC East title, the Kirk Cousins-led Redskins fell to 0-2 this year with a 27-23 loss to the division-rival Cowboys on Sunday. Both defeats have come at home for Washington, which previously lost in embarrassing fashion, 38-16, to Pittsburgh on Monday. As a result of their slow start, some Redskins offensive players have begun privately complaining about Cousins’ performance thus far, a source told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

On the possibility of benching Cousins in favor of backup Colt McCoy, the source said of the latter, “At least he’d play with poise.”

McCoy has never been any kind of solution since entering the NFL as the Browns’ third-round pick in the 2010 draft. Cousins, however, looked like a franchise-caliber passer during the second half of the 2015 campaign. In all, he completed 69.8 percent of passes for 4,166 yards and 29 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, but 19 of those scores and just two picks came in the Redskins’ final eight games. That led the Redskins to place the franchise tag on the 28-year-old in the offseason, thus committing a $19.95MM salary to him in the process.

While Cousins has thrown for a prolific 693 yards during the first two weeks of this season, he has tossed just one touchdown against three INTs. Aside from his late-season breakout last year, Cousins has mostly been a pedestrian pro signal-caller since the Redskins used a fourth-rounder on him in 2012. That explains why the team was reluctant to hand the ex-Michigan State Spartan a sizable long-term deal in lieu of the franchise tag over the summer.

Assuming Cousins stays at the helm, he’ll next lead the Redskins into New York for a a crucial Week 3 showdown with another NFC East rival, the Giants, who lead the division at 2-0. A loss would quickly place the Redskins well behind Big Blue in the East race and put them at 0-2 in the division. For Cousins, another poor showing also wouldn’t do the impending free agent’s potential long-term earning power any favors.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Breer’s Latest: Dak, Rams, Kap, Prospects

September 1st, 2016 at 6:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dak Prescott hype train will continue into the regular season after Tony Romo‘s latest injury will put the former Mississippi State talent in command of the Cowboys. But how closely the fourth-rounder’s electric preseason will correlate with what happens beginning next week have NFL personnel split.

“He isn’t as good as his preseason performances. Teams haven’t schemed for him yet,” a league scout assigned to Mississippi State told Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. “When they do, you’ll see his accuracy get exposed. [Dallas] will need to focus on quick, short, underneath throws, that’ll mask some of the downfield accuracy issues.”

The scout notes the Cowboys have enough talent around Prescott to keep him from being exposed but expects defenses to throw exotic blitzes at the rookie to gauge his readiness.

“He’s more accurate than I thought he would be; strong arm and a good athlete, good poise for a young guy. They’re so good up front, and should be able to run the ball behind Zeke [Elliott] and [Alfred] Morris. Those backs are good, so they can take pressure off him,” a Dolphins coach told Breer, before adding the August numbers would matter “very little” because “everyone is vanilla right now.”

Here’s more from Breer, beginning with the Rams’ behind-the-scenes approach after they were dealt a blow similar to what the Vikings endured earlier this week.

Sam Bradford‘s preseason ACL tear in 2014 induced the Rams to inquire about trades for other quarterbacks. GM Les Snead did not confirm which passers the team pursued, but Breer reports the Rams made an effort to deal for Kirk Cousins and “seriously discussed” Jimmy Garoppolo with the Patriots. Snead discovered the price was too high on those passers before making a successful waiver claim for current starter Case Keenum.
The offseason intrigue surrounding the pairing of Colin Kaepernick‘s athleticism with Chip Kelly‘s system dissipated considerably this summer. Unable to work out with the team for most of the offseason due to rehab efforts, Kaepernick, as a pro scouting director noticed, was running the 49ers‘ offense much slower than either Blaine Gabbert or Jeff Driskel in the 49ers’ game against the Packers. “When Kap was in the game, [the offense] slowed down—significantly,” the anonymous director said, via Breer. “I mean, it slowed down by 10 seconds [per play]. And that indicates he’s not comfortable getting them to the line, operating the offense the way they want him to do it. And it indicates the time he missed is costing him.”
The next Notre Dame lineman to land in the first round could be left tackle Mike McGlinchey, who will take over for Ronnie Stanley. Moving from right to left tackle in advance of his redshirt-junior season, McGlinchey could follow in the footsteps of Stanley and Zack Martin. “He’s a beast!” said one area scout assigned to the Irish. “I haven’t watched film of him yet, but off the practice view alone, he’s a first- or second-round pick. He’s not as athletic as [Stanley], but he’s more physical.” McGlinchey will begin his second year as a starter for the Fighting Irish, doing so after helping Notre Dame runners average 5.63 yards per carry in 2015 — eighth-best in Division I-FBS last season.

Reactions To Tyrod Taylor’s Extension

August 12th, 2016 at 8:46pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Thanks primarily to subpar production from a slew of quarterbacks, the Bills are mired in an NFL-worst 16-year playoff drought. But they may have finally found a long-term solution under center in Tyrod Taylor, to whom they gave an extension that could run through the 2021 season and pay him up $92MM on Friday. In his first year as a starter last season, Joe Flacco‘s former backup in Baltimore emerged as a quality dual threat, combining for 24 touchdowns (20 passing, four rushing) against six interceptions. He also became the third signal-caller in league history to finish a season with a passer rating over 99 and an average of 40-plus yards rushing per game. While Taylor played under a bargain salary in 2015 and performed like someone worthy of a significant raise, he isn’t necessarily secure for the long haul in Buffalo. In fact, the way his deal is structured, Taylor will have to prove himself all over again this year.

Here are some reactions to the 27-year-old’s contract:

In extending Taylor, the Bills raised his 2016 salary from $2MM to $9.5MM. That total represents all of the fully guaranteed money in his contract, and Andrew Brandt of The MMQB points out (on Twitter) that it’s $2.5MM less than the $12MM that career backup Chase Daniel received from the Eagles in free agency. Before signing with Philadelphia in March, the soon-to-be 30-year-old Daniel accrued 77 combined passing attempts in New Orleans and Kansas City, and he didn’t necessarily impress in that limited action. Taylor, meanwhile, picked up 380 attempts last year alone and succeeded.
Considering the cost, the Bills were smart to lock up Taylor, opines Albert Breer of The MMQB (Twitter links). If Taylor falters this year, the Bills can easily move on having only thrown away $9.5MM. On the other hand, should Taylor duplicate his 2015 performance or improve on it, they’ll have a legitimate No. 1 for a below-market cost.
If he remains in Buffalo through the 2017 campaign, Taylor will collect $37MM, which Tom Pelissero of USA Today notes is the same amount new Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler will rake in through next season. The key difference is that all $37MM of Osweiler’s money was guaranteed at signing, making the Taylor deal look even better for the Bills. In fairness to Houston, Osweiler’s four-year, $72MM payday came on the open market. Still, from a statistical standpoint, Taylor clearly outdid Osweiler in 2015.
Taylor’s accord is unlikely to impact Redskins franchise-tagged quarterback Kirk Cousins, writes JP Finlay of CSN Mid-Atlantic. The two are vastly different players, for one, and Cousins, at $19.95MM, is already set to more than double Taylor’s salary this year. Both before and after tagging him, the Redskins reportedly offered Cousins $16MM per year and $24MM in guarantees on a long-term deal. While the former figure is in line with Taylor’s new average annual salary, the guaranteed sum is nearly three times higher than Taylor’s total. Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough for Cousins, whom the Redskins failed to sign to a multiyear deal by the July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players. Like Taylor, he’ll once again try to prove himself this season.

NFC East Notes: Redskins, Cousins, Giants

August 9th, 2016 at 1:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Does Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins resent his one-year franchise tender deal? That’s not the case, says Mike Jones of the Washington Post, since Cousins’ camp knew where the team stood heading into the offseason. Cousins and his agent have a lot of respect for GM Scot McCloughan and coach Jay Gruden, Jones writes, and nothing changed throughout the negotiation process. Ultimately, Cousins is embracing the challenge of proving himself again and is confident that he will cash in after a strong 2016.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

Cousins seems poised to cash in if the Redskins allow him to hit the open market, but it seems like some league officials do not hold Cousins in high esteem. ESPN.com’s Mike Sando (Insider sub. req’d) spoke to “ten GMs, five head coaches, seven offensive coordinators, five defensive coordinators, eight personnel evaluators, and seven other position coaches/execs” to get their ranking of the league’s quarterbacks. Cousins was rated 20th in the NFL, which puts him in the third tier at this position. Of course, those same officials will surely bump Cousins up the board if he is able to reprise his 2015 performance. It’s also worth considering that established quarterbacks rarely hit free agency and, when they do, their market is exceptionally strong. Case in point: Brock Osweiler is now the 16th highest-paid QB in the NFL on a per-year basis and most football people would not consider him to be in the top half of starting signal callers. All in all, the survey’s view of Cousins is surprising, but it may not mean much for his potential free agent value.
Tight end Matt LaCosse is among the under-the-radar players who could make the Giants‘ roster, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan writes. “He brings a knowledge of the position, number one, and he’s a big target,” tight ends coach Kevin M. Gilbride said. “I would say overall, as far as him going into his second season, he does everything pretty well. So when we talk about getting those tight ends, to get them in the position that we want them in, to execute their jobs, he can execute all of the jobs. But with that being said, there might be someone who’s a better run-blocker, a better threat down the field, but Matt executes everything well.” Raanan also highlights linebacker Brad Bars, wide receiver Tavarres King, cornerback Donte Deayon, and offensive lineman Adam Gettis as other dark horse candidates.
On Tuesday morning, scouting guru Dave-Te Thomas ran down the Giants‘ rookie class and highlighted their impact first-year players.
Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson could be facing a ten-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.

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