Who is Kirk Cousins? [Archive] - Page 102 - Commanders Post at The Warpath

KI Skins Fan

12-16-2015, 11:15 AM

There is a dry long article on cbssportsline.com this morning regarding what Kirk Cousins contract might look like next season. I've summarized it for you below:

"Kirk Cousins is taking advantage of head coach Jay Gruden's decision to play him over 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III. He has demonstrated he can be an effective NFL starting quarterback, leading the league with a 69.2 completion percentage. On pace to throw for 4,069 yards, Cousins has a chance at setting the Washington Redskins' single-season passing yards record, owned by Jay Schroeder with 4,109 yards in 1986.

Cousins is in the final year of a four-year, $2,572,688 rookie contract paying him $660,000 this season. He will be getting a big raise with his next deal. How much, and whether it's with the Redskins, could hinge on Cousins' performance down the stretch and the team's finish to the season.

The QB Market

There really isn't a direct salary comparison for Kirk Cousins' situation. Eighteen quarterbacks are signed to deals averaging more than $15 million per year. All of these players had been starters longer than Cousins when they signed their deals.

Nick Foles is the next highest-paid quarterback with the two-year, $24.5 million contract extension (worth a maximum of $38 million through incentives) he received from the St. Louis Rams in the preseason containing $13.792 million in guarantees. There's also a mechanism for Foles to void the final year of deal with outstanding performance.

Negotiations with Washington

Cousins doesn't have any incentive to sign an extension before the offseason. There's a lot more to gain than lose by waiting because Cousins could be one of the rare ascending starting quarterbacks to hit open market in a league where capable signal callers usually don't become free agents. Six quarterbacks heading into a contract year signed extensions prior to the start of this season.

Quarterback is the ultimate leverage position in the NFL because teams would rather pay for mediocrity than start over with a high draft pick or another veteran that isn't a big upgrade. This general proposition will put Cousins in the driver's seat with Washington for negotiations to retain him provided he doesn't revert to his 2014 season form, which got him benched, during the last three games. It seems unlikely considering Cousins' growth as a quarterback this season.

It would not be a surprise if (Kirk's agent) McCartney sought a long-term deal comparable to the contract package of the average starting quarterback on a veteran deal. The two contracts which most closely approximate these figures belong to Alex Smith and Matthew Stafford. Smith signed a four-year, $68 million extension containing $45 million in guarantees, of which $30 million was fully guaranteed at signing, from the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014. Stafford received a three-year, $53 million extension from the Detroit Lions in 2013 with $41.5 million in guarantees. $33.5 million was fully guaranteed at signing.

The Redskins will likely be extremely hesitant about making such a significant multi-year commitment to Cousins because there isn't enough of a track record for them to feel comfortable unless the threat of interest from another team in free agency forces their hand.

A Nick Foles-type contract might have appeal to both sides if a longer-term deal can't be reached. It would give the Redskins at least one more year to evaluate whether Cousins is the long-term solution at quarterback. Cousins would get a two-year deal with an average yearly salary almost five times as much as his entire rookie contract, with the ability to make additional money depending on his and the team's performance.

Foles, who could be an offseason salary cap casualty despite $6 million of his $7.75 million 2016 salary being fully guaranteed without an offset, has $4.5 million of incentives in each of the three years of his contract. He gets $500,000 for at least 75 percent offensive playtime and the Rams winning 10 or more regular season games. It's $1.5 million instead of $500,000 with the same playing time and making the playoffs. The amount increases by $250,000 with a first-round bye and goes up $250,000 for each additional playoff win. A Super Bowl victory with the requisite playing time is worth $3.5 million instead. $750,000 is added to the total earned if Foles is in the top eight in the NFL in passing yards, passer rating or touchdown passes, or the Rams are in the top NFL's top 10 in points scored. There's a $250,000 Pro Bowl bonus as well.

A similar incentive package could be adopted for Cousins. Foles' 2017 contract year also voids under three conditions with written notice within 10 days after Super Bowl 51 (February 14 deadline). The conditions are at least 50 percent offensive playing time during the 2015 and 2016 regular seasons with the Rams making the playoffs both years, the same playing-time requirement with 19 or more regular season wins in the two seasons, or two Pro Bowl selections. McCartney might also want the voiding deadline to be in early March when free agency is approaching to eliminate the possibility of a franchise tag.

Cousins would reap the benefit of changes to the quarterback market in 2018 at the latest even if he didn't void the second year or earn incentives provided he continued to improve under the Foles approach. The Redskins wouldn't have any adverse long-term salary cap consequences by parting ways with Cousins if he regressed next year or in 2017.

The Franchise Tag Factor

There are more NFL teams than capable starting quarterbacks, which is why Cousins receiving a franchise tag isn't out of the question. Several things would need to occur to make it a realistic possibility. Cousins would need to perform like he did on the road in Chicago (or close to it) against the Cowboys and Eagles. This would probably result in the Redskins hosting a playoff game in the wild-card round, presumably versus the Seattle Seahawks, for winning the NFC East. Beating the two-time defending NFC Champions would be a tremendous upset. Under this scenario, owner Daniel Snyder wouldn't want to risk losing Cousins to free agency if the franchise's first playoff victory in a decade occurred with him under center.

The non-exclusive quarterback franchise tag should be $19.671 million with a $153.4 million 2016 salary cap, which is the high end of salary cap projections recently given to NFL teams. Cousins merely putting himself in a position where a franchise tag is a serious consideration would give him the leverage to force the Redskins into making a long-term commitment where his deal would approach top-tier quarterback money."


	Commanders Post at The Warpath > Commanders Football > Locker Room Main Forum > Who is Kirk Cousins? Log in Who is Kirk Cousins? Pages : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 [102] 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 Defensewins 12-16-2015, 09:07 AM Top 20 unrestricted free agents for 2016 14. Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins quarterback: Replacement level starting quarterbacks are worth plenty, and that appears to be Cousins' floor. At worst, he's a poor man's Andy Dalton with room to improve over time. He has more value to the Redskins than anyone else. You got this from this article? Top 20 unrestricted free agents for 2016 - NFL.com (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000602379/article/top-20-unrestricted-free-agents-for-2016) You said in an earlier post that RGIII has more potential than KC. So why is RGIII not on this list? Hmmm? Chico23231 12-16-2015, 09:35 AM You got this from this article? Top 20 unrestricted free agents for 2016 - NFL.com (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000602379/article/top-20-unrestricted-free-agents-for-2016) You said in an earlier post that RGIII has more potential than KC. So why is RGIII not on this list? Hmmm? Sidebar...damn Id like to see Danny Trevathan ILB or Eric Berry SS in a Skins uniform next year. 30gut 12-16-2015, 09:38 AM You got this from this article? Top 20 unrestricted free agents for 2016 - NFL.com (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000602379/article/top-20-unrestricted-free-agents-for-2016) You said in an earlier post that RGIII has more potential than KC. So why is RGIII not on this list? Hmmm?I never understood why people ask questions they don't actually want answers to. CRedskinsRule 12-16-2015, 09:41 AM You got this from this article? Top 20 unrestricted free agents for 2016 - NFL.com (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000602379/article/top-20-unrestricted-free-agents-for-2016) You said in an earlier post that RGIII has more potential than KC. So why is RGIII not on this list? Hmmm? Technically Griffin is not an unrestricted free agent next year. In fact he is the only qb we have under contract for next year. Sent from my S6 Edge Defensewins 12-16-2015, 10:43 AM Technically Griffin is not an unrestricted free agent next year. In fact he is the only qb we have under contract for next year. Sent from my S6 Edge Do you think we will pay the $16,000,000 to keep him as our inactive 3rd string QB for next year? KI Skins Fan 12-16-2015, 10:45 AM How NFL QB's are really judged: 1. Wins! 2. All the other stuff. Defensewins 12-16-2015, 10:46 AM Sidebar...damn Id like to see Danny Trevathan ILB or Eric Berry SS in a Skins uniform next year. There are some interesting FA possibilities. Muhammad Wilkerson is good. KI Skins Fan 12-16-2015, 10:51 AM There are some interesting FA possibilities. Muhammad Wilkerson is good. He is tremendous! He is also a perfect fit here; however, I think the Jets would Franchise Tag him before they let him get away to another team. If either Wilkerson or Alex Mack should actually become a FA, I hope that SM will be on him like white on rice. NoCalHail 12-16-2015, 11:00 AM How NFL QB's are really judged: 1. Wins! 2. All the other stuff. That's true but the general "Wins" stat can fluctuate for a ton of reasons. Ron Jaworski will never live down his proclamation that Kaepernick would retire as one of the greatest QB's ever. Medicore QB's or even average QB's can rack up a handful of wins in a short period of time based on the team around them but over the long term there are going to be better indicators of how good a QB is. KI Skins Fan 12-16-2015, 11:15 AM There is a dry long article on cbssportsline.com this morning regarding what Kirk Cousins contract might look like next season. I've summarized it for you below: "Kirk Cousins is taking advantage of head coach Jay Gruden's decision to play him over 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III. He has demonstrated he can be an effective NFL starting quarterback, leading the league with a 69.2 completion percentage. On pace to throw for 4,069 yards, Cousins has a chance at setting the Washington Redskins' single-season passing yards record, owned by Jay Schroeder with 4,109 yards in 1986. Cousins is in the final year of a four-year, $2,572,688 rookie contract paying him $660,000 this season. He will be getting a big raise with his next deal. How much, and whether it's with the Redskins, could hinge on Cousins' performance down the stretch and the team's finish to the season. The QB Market There really isn't a direct salary comparison for Kirk Cousins' situation. Eighteen quarterbacks are signed to deals averaging more than $15 million per year. All of these players had been starters longer than Cousins when they signed their deals. Nick Foles is the next highest-paid quarterback with the two-year, $24.5 million contract extension (worth a maximum of $38 million through incentives) he received from the St. Louis Rams in the preseason containing $13.792 million in guarantees. There's also a mechanism for Foles to void the final year of deal with outstanding performance. Negotiations with Washington Cousins doesn't have any incentive to sign an extension before the offseason. There's a lot more to gain than lose by waiting because Cousins could be one of the rare ascending starting quarterbacks to hit open market in a league where capable signal callers usually don't become free agents. Six quarterbacks heading into a contract year signed extensions prior to the start of this season. Quarterback is the ultimate leverage position in the NFL because teams would rather pay for mediocrity than start over with a high draft pick or another veteran that isn't a big upgrade. This general proposition will put Cousins in the driver's seat with Washington for negotiations to retain him provided he doesn't revert to his 2014 season form, which got him benched, during the last three games. It seems unlikely considering Cousins' growth as a quarterback this season. It would not be a surprise if (Kirk's agent) McCartney sought a long-term deal comparable to the contract package of the average starting quarterback on a veteran deal. The two contracts which most closely approximate these figures belong to Alex Smith and Matthew Stafford. Smith signed a four-year, $68 million extension containing $45 million in guarantees, of which $30 million was fully guaranteed at signing, from the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014. Stafford received a three-year, $53 million extension from the Detroit Lions in 2013 with $41.5 million in guarantees. $33.5 million was fully guaranteed at signing. The Redskins will likely be extremely hesitant about making such a significant multi-year commitment to Cousins because there isn't enough of a track record for them to feel comfortable unless the threat of interest from another team in free agency forces their hand. A Nick Foles-type contract might have appeal to both sides if a longer-term deal can't be reached. It would give the Redskins at least one more year to evaluate whether Cousins is the long-term solution at quarterback. Cousins would get a two-year deal with an average yearly salary almost five times as much as his entire rookie contract, with the ability to make additional money depending on his and the team's performance. Foles, who could be an offseason salary cap casualty despite $6 million of his $7.75 million 2016 salary being fully guaranteed without an offset, has $4.5 million of incentives in each of the three years of his contract. He gets $500,000 for at least 75 percent offensive playtime and the Rams winning 10 or more regular season games. It's $1.5 million instead of $500,000 with the same playing time and making the playoffs. The amount increases by $250,000 with a first-round bye and goes up $250,000 for each additional playoff win. A Super Bowl victory with the requisite playing time is worth $3.5 million instead. $750,000 is added to the total earned if Foles is in the top eight in the NFL in passing yards, passer rating or touchdown passes, or the Rams are in the top NFL's top 10 in points scored. There's a $250,000 Pro Bowl bonus as well. A similar incentive package could be adopted for Cousins. Foles' 2017 contract year also voids under three conditions with written notice within 10 days after Super Bowl 51 (February 14 deadline). The conditions are at least 50 percent offensive playing time during the 2015 and 2016 regular seasons with the Rams making the playoffs both years, the same playing-time requirement with 19 or more regular season wins in the two seasons, or two Pro Bowl selections. McCartney might also want the voiding deadline to be in early March when free agency is approaching to eliminate the possibility of a franchise tag. Cousins would reap the benefit of changes to the quarterback market in 2018 at the latest even if he didn't void the second year or earn incentives provided he continued to improve under the Foles approach. The Redskins wouldn't have any adverse long-term salary cap consequences by parting ways with Cousins if he regressed next year or in 2017. The Franchise Tag Factor There are more NFL teams than capable starting quarterbacks, which is why Cousins receiving a franchise tag isn't out of the question. Several things would need to occur to make it a realistic possibility. Cousins would need to perform like he did on the road in Chicago (or close to it) against the Cowboys and Eagles. This would probably result in the Redskins hosting a playoff game in the wild-card round, presumably versus the Seattle Seahawks, for winning the NFC East. Beating the two-time defending NFC Champions would be a tremendous upset. Under this scenario, owner Daniel Snyder wouldn't want to risk losing Cousins to free agency if the franchise's first playoff victory in a decade occurred with him under center. The non-exclusive quarterback franchise tag should be $19.671 million with a $153.4 million 2016 salary cap, which is the high end of salary cap projections recently given to NFL teams. Cousins merely putting himself in a position where a franchise tag is a serious consideration would give him the leverage to force the Redskins into making a long-term commitment where his deal would approach top-tier quarterback money."