Should the Skins re-sign Cousins....?

[StorminMormon86]

Over the past 5 weeks, he's had 10 TD's to 2 INT's...he's playing consistently, and improving...so why not re-sign him?

[PulpExposure]

Honestly, I've come around on him. I really would like to see him challenge defenses more, but maybe that's just the design of the defense, or it's him. But he's gotten a lot less mistake prone, more careful with the ball, and has really played pretty well.

[riggofan]

Jay Gruden is keeping his job.

Kirk Cousins is going to get paid.

Washington is going to win the NFC East.

What the hell kind of a crazy league is this?

Over the past five weeks, Cousins has been sensational. In that span he has completed 117 of 164 passes (71 percent) for 1,467 yards -- averaging 293 yards per game and a gaudy 8.95 yards per attempt --with 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions. That's a rating of 114, folks. On the season, he is approaching 3,000 yards with 16 touchdowns, 10 picks, and a solid rating of 91.7.

His representatives have no reason to be in a rush to do a deal at this point, and the Redskins can wait it out as well. But I can assure you if Cousins keeps up anything close to this recent pace, there will be any number of teams eager to express their quiet interest in him as an unrestricted free agent at the combine (Jets, Browns, 49ers, Eagles, Rams, maybe even Broncos), and he'll have no reason to be hasty signing anything.

It could well end up that Washington slaps the franchise tag on him, even at close to $20M, with Griffin's projected $16.7M salary coming off the books and no real cash or cap issues looming. Securing his rights and then working out a deal maybe in the range of Alex Smith's $15M annually might be the end game there, but simply letting him walk for a comp pick won't make much sense.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/jas ... m-hail-yes

[SkinsJock]

Hopefully they sign Kirk Cousins to a fair deal or whatever the fair market value is - and SOON! thankfully, Scot and the FO will do this and not any of the Cousins lovers at this site - I'm fine with that as there are no decent to good QBs available from what we can see - no matter what, we're going to have a lot of good players here and if Kirk Cousins wants to start here he will have the job but if he wants to get greedy and get more than Scot and the FO want to pay him, SEE YA - just like at the beginning of this season, some of us felt that we'd be competitive no matter who is playing QB and we end up having a shot at the NFC East

Cousins has helped this franchise - if he does not want to be here and take the deal that Scot and the FO offer him, I'm fine with that - we'll be the same with or without him - we're building this franchise around players that want to be here - we don't need players that are greedy

[SkinsJock]

btw - just to be fair - there are many here that don't want to give Griffin any credit for winning the NFC East in 2012 and I'm fine with that

same applies to Kirk Cousins in 2015 - IF we manage to win the NFC East it's because the team found a way to get it done with Kirk Cousins as the QB - same as what happened in 2012

we're in a major rebuild and we have a shot at the NFC East - realistically we're still a couple of drafts away from finding a way to revamp this roster as much as we need to and we're playing meaningful games in December - gotta love it

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

Says the Gus,Zorn, Campbell and Shanny supporter...

I was a supporter of all of those guys, because I am a supporter of the Washington Redskins. Maybe you should give it a try.

[Burgundy&GoldForever]

I'll just leave these here ...

During the Redskins’ current five-game home winning streak, Cousins has completed 127-of-167 passes (76.0 percent) for 1,436 yards with 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions for a passer rating of 121.2.

Cousins extended his career-high number of 300-yard passing games this season to four, becoming the first Redskins quarterback with four 300-yard passing performances in a season since Brad Johnson in 1999.

Cousins became the first Redskins quarterback since at least 1960 to record 300-yard passing performances in three consecutive home games.

Cousins’ extended his career-best streak of games with a touchdown pass this season to 11 games. He is the first Redskins quarterback to open a season with a touchdown pass in 11 consecutive games since Pro Football Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen in 1967.

[StorminMormon86]

btw - just to be fair - there are many here that don't want to give Griffin any credit for winning the NFC East in 2012 and I'm fine with that

same applies to Kirk Cousins in 2015 - IF we manage to win the NFC East it's because the team found a way to get it done with Kirk Cousins as the QB - same as what happened in 2012

we're in a major rebuild and we have a shot at the NFC East - realistically we're still a couple of drafts away from finding a way to revamp this roster as much as we need to and we're playing meaningful games in December - gotta love it

I've yet to see one single person say that Cousins has carried this team this year, but other than that, this might be your most reasonable post.

[FanofallthatisGibbs]

I can only think of maybe one poster who wouldn't give RGIII credit for winning the NFC East in 2012. There is no doubt RGIII was the catalyst, from the first game @Saints all the way until the team was winning 14-0 vs. the Seahawks in the playoffs - all RGIII, and Alfred Morris' numbers shows how Griffin's game opened up the field for his amazing rookie year stats. But once hurt, he was like a race horse that pulls up lame. Done.

Same does not apply to Kirk this year IMO. The team more so than the player is at the core of this season. Players have been injured throughout (O-line, secondary, and others) and it has cast a light on weak links in the chain. But this group is more resilient, although equally determined, as the 2012 team. Kirk is simply steering the ship, what any good QB does. The ship does sink if the parts fail though. If a team relies solely on a QB to win, chances are that team will not win the SuperBowl. Kirk is slowly coming of age as a NFL QB, and it's been fun to watch the development.

What makes me sleep well at night as a Redskins fan right now? Not being in 1st place with a 5-6 record. No, it's knowing that the franchise seem to have the formula right for what should be long-term sustainable success for the first time in two decades.

[riggofan]

btw - just to be fair - there are many here that don't want to give Griffin any credit for winning the NFC East in 2012 and I'm fine with that

Who in the world doesn't give RG3 credit for 2012? Of course Griffin deserves HUGE credit for that year. So does Kirk Cousins btw. We don't win the East without his play vs. Baltimore and Cleveland.

[Countertrey]

btw - just to be fair - there are many here that don't want to give Griffin any credit for winning the NFC East in 2012 and I'm fine with that

Who in the world doesn't give RG3 credit for 2012?

Ummmm... seriously?

[Deadskins]

If I'm Scot McCloughan I give Cousins the franchise tag. I'll pay for a year to see if he's consistent and continues to develop. In the interim I get about 15 players back from IR and another round of free agency and another draft to improve the roster around him. I do not under any circumstances allow Cousins to hit the free agent market this off-season. I'm not going to get into a bidding war with other teams, even if it's just posturing on their part for the sake of raising his price tag.

I just don't think the franchise tag is necessary unless you can't get an extension done before season's end. The franchise tag would result in overpaying unnecessarily, and the price tag keeps going up for consecutive seasons with the tag. Make him a reasonable and fair offer now, and let's play some football.

[riggofan]

btw - just to be fair - there are many here that don't want to give Griffin any credit for winning the NFC East in 2012 and I'm fine with that

Who in the world doesn't give RG3 credit for 2012?

Ummmm... seriously?

Seriously, man. Are there really people out there who believe we made the playoffs that year in spite of Griffin? I just find that really hard to believe. I know there are people who believe it was a one year wonder kind of thing playing that crazy offense. But I've never heard anyone discredit Griffin's contribution to that season.

We should have sucked that year, but RG3 turned the league on its head. He was amazing. No question about it. It just wasn't sustainable what he was doing.

[Burgundy&GoldForever]

If I'm Scot McCloughan I give Cousins the franchise tag. I'll pay for a year to see if he's consistent and continues to develop. In the interim I get about 15 players back from IR and another round of free agency and another draft to improve the roster around him. I do not under any circumstances allow Cousins to hit the free agent market this off-season. I'm not going to get into a bidding war with other teams, even if it's just posturing on their part for the sake of raising his price tag.

I just don't think the franchise tag is necessary unless you can't get an extension done before season's end. The franchise tag would result in overpaying unnecessarily, and the price tag keeps going up for consecutive seasons with the tag. Make him a reasonable and fair offer now, and let's play some football.

In theory your idea sounds great but in practice he could tell the Redskins to go piss up a rope with their "reasonable offer." The franchise tag guarantees he's not going anywhere.

[Countertrey]

Who in the world doesn't give RG3 credit for 2012?

Ummmm... seriously?

Seriously, man. Are there really people out there who believe we made the playoffs that year in spite of Griffin? I just find that really hard to believe. I know there are people who believe it was a one year wonder kind of thing playing that crazy offense. But I've never heard anyone discredit Griffin's contribution to that season.

We should have sucked that year, but RG3 turned the league on its head. He was amazing. No question about it. It just wasn't sustainable what he was doing.

Well... there's one who posts fairly frequently... nothing Bob did mattered. It was all "school yard", with the heavy lifting done by Almo...

[Countertrey]

If I'm Scot McCloughan I give Cousins the franchise tag. I'll pay for a year to see if he's consistent and continues to develop. In the interim I get about 15 players back from IR and another round of free agency and another draft to improve the roster around him. I do not under any circumstances allow Cousins to hit the free agent market this off-season. I'm not going to get into a bidding war with other teams, even if it's just posturing on their part for the sake of raising his price tag.

I just don't think the franchise tag is necessary unless you can't get an extension done before season's end. The franchise tag would result in overpaying unnecessarily, and the price tag keeps going up for consecutive seasons with the tag. Make him a reasonable and fair offer now, and let's play some football.

In theory your idea sounds great but in practice he could tell the Redskins to go piss up a rope with their "reasonable offer." The franchise tag guarantees he's not going anywhere.

I agree... I see a tag in Kirk's immediate future, unless there is a deal before FA opens...

[Burgundy&GoldForever]

Well... there's one who posts fairly frequently... nothing Bob did mattered. It was all "school yard", with the heavy lifting done by Almo...

I wouldn't overlook the contributions of either RGIII or AlMo in 2012 ... but this is 2015.

[riggofan]

Well... there's one who posts fairly frequently... nothing Bob did mattered. It was all "school yard", with the heavy lifting done by Almo...

hah. Well that is definitely crazy, but I can't imagine that's a very widely held opinion. People might not have liked Griffin's style of play or the offense, but there's no discounting what he did that year.

Griffin was rookie of the year in 2012. Its not really even debatable.

[Deadskins]

I just don't think the franchise tag is necessary unless you can't get an extension done before season's end. The franchise tag would result in overpaying unnecessarily, and the price tag keeps going up for consecutive seasons with the tag. Make him a reasonable and fair offer now, and let's play some football.

In theory your idea sounds great but in practice he could tell the Redskins to go piss up a rope with their "reasonable offer." The franchise tag guarantees he's not going anywhere.

I agree... I see a tag in Kirk's immediate future, unless there is a deal before FA opens...

ECHO... echo... echo... echo

[Countertrey]

Bottom line... I think Cousins gets tagged, because, unless he crashes and burns, he's going to test the market... I would be surprised if a deal gets done... either way, I have a feeling that he will be happy... getting the QB tag is a pretty sweet deal... especially for a guy like Kirk.

[Burgundy&GoldForever]

Bottom line... I think Cousins gets tagged, because, unless he crashes and burns, he's going to test the market... I would be surprised if a deal gets done... either way, I have a feeling that he will be happy... getting the QB tag is a pretty sweet deal... especially for a guy like Kirk.

Part of my thought process behind that is $17 million or thereabouts guaranteed is financial security for Cousins and low risk for the Redskins. I think we'd be kidding ourselves if we don't think there's a market for Cousins. I also think we'd be kidding ourselves if we don't think teams overpay for quarterbacks all the time. If you don't have one, you've got nothing. But how far down the rabbit hole are other teams willing to go for a one-time 4th round 101st overall projected backup pick turned starter? He isn't Tom Brady. I think he'd take one guaranteed year at the franchise tag salary over a two year deal elsewhere, and I just don't see teams offering more than that in any case, not even the Redskins.

[Countertrey]

^EXACTLY

[SkinsJock]

^^ that's the deal right there ...

[Irn-Bru]

I hope we don't franchise tag him. That would indicate a significant failure on the part of our front office. We'd not only be overpaying, but we wouldn't have any guarantees that he'd be here the next year, either. That's not the game we should be playing. Lock him down now, for a sum of money that strikes most (but not all) people as "overpaying." In three years' time it won't look like we overpaid.

[Burgundy&GoldForever]

I hope we don't franchise tag him. That would indicate a significant failure on the part of our front office. We'd not only be overpaying, but we wouldn't have any guarantees that he'd be here the next year, either. That's not the game we should be playing. Lock him down now, for a sum of money that strikes most (but not all) people as "overpaying." In three years' time it won't look like we overpaid.

I think we'd have to give him a three year incentive-loaded deal with a huge signing bonus to keep him here. It's a tough call. Either you overpay a lot to keep him here for another "prove it" year or you overpay a lot (but still less than the franchise tag) to keep him here longer than maybe you're comfortable with. I'm going to trust Scot McCloughan to do the right thing, whatever that is.