There may not be a more polarizing quarterback in the NFL than Kirk Cousins. However, plenty of fans would easily accept him as their signal-caller if their favorite team didn’t sign him for five years of guaranteed money.
I hate to give the Washington Commanders any credit, but they handled Cousins correctly. He may be one of the few QBs in the NFL that this would be true for, but it mitigated some of Cousins’ inconsistent play and perplexing NFL career. Fittingly, his record as a starter is 59-59-2.
Washington drafted Cousins in the fourth round in 2012 to back up to Robert Griffin III, who they took second-overall that year. Cousins earned the full-time starting role in 2015 after Griffin suffered multiple career-altering injuries. Washington retained Cousins after his four-year rookie deal, but not in a way teams traditionally deal with a franchise QB.
Instead of a long-term contract, Washington opted for back-to-back franchise tags. In theory, teams use franchise tags to give themselves and the player a year to come to a contract agreement. But Washington seemed to use it as a form of a two-year prove-it deal.
Looking back, it worked out for Washington. They determined that Cousins wasn’t worth the contract he wanted. It later turned out into a guaranteed deal with the Vikings, but the New York Jets were also in the sweepstakes. Whether or not Cousins’ camp just used the Jets as leverage is uncertain because they offered him $90 million. The Vikings signed him to an $84 million deal but apparently wanted him at $25 million per year ($75 million total).
In any case, Cousins still got the contract he desired, and it was the opposite of team-friendly. That’s the root of the issue of Cousins. Even though he’s an above-average quarterback, he’s not worth the third-highest cap hit in the NFL at $45 million. Only Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan have a bigger cap hit percentage next season.
Any contract the size of Cousins’ is a risk. But it was a massive swing, especially considering his best record was 9-7 with Washington. At this time, Washington had an excellent supporting cast, too. They had poor pass defenses but consistently good pass rushers, thanks to an elite Ryan Kerrigan in his prime.
Washington also gave Cousins good receivers and tight ends. He had names like DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Jamison Crowder, Vernon Davis, and about a half of a season of Santana Moss. Nothing too crazy, but he had tools on offense.
Cousins was an above-average QB, but he wasn’t elite, yet he signed a contract that demands elite play. He’s not bad, but he’s taking up nearly a quarter of his team’s cap hit (21.43%). So, before the “WinS aRen’t A qb StAt” crowd gets riled up, remember that this isn’t the argument for moving on.
The past front office blew up the team by committing to Cousins. It would’ve been worth it if they had won a championship, but they didn’t. However, Vikings’ ownership has said they aren’t in for a full rebuild, but that is directly tied to their Cousins decision. If they move on from Cousins, there’s little chance that the level of QB play stays consistent. That’s fine, though, if they’re rebuilding.
If Kwesi Adofo-Mensah can get any assets for Cousins beyond a single first-rounder, he should do it. If they have a draft target in mind now, a single pick could even be worth it. It all just depends on where the new front office sees this team going next season.
The Vikings screwed themselves with the Cousins contract in a sense, even though his time in Washington proved that Cousins was challenging to get a read on. The franchise can learn from this and, as soon as Cousins’ contract expires or the next QB comes on board, they should think twice before giving out a guaranteed contract as they did in 2018.
Cousins is 33 years old and, frankly, I don’t think any executives know what to do with him. He’s good but not playoff-run or Monday Night Football good. He’s accurate but has a poor pocket presence. The ups and downs tell the story, even if there are more ups. It’s simple once you consider that he hasn’t provided results and is heading over the hill.
Washington was right to go year-to-year with him. A guaranteed contract is just too much to commit to until he can make a true playoff run. Hopefully, the Carolina Panthers are still willing to move the sixth-overall pick. If the Vikings can draft a cornerstone player and suck for one year, let’s do it, because it’ll pay off in the long run. Especially with the bright young front office they’ve assembled.
