On Friday, Kirk Cousins mentioned during an interview with Mike Jones of USA Today he was surprised by the Redskins’ decision to trade for Alex Smith earlier in the week.
“It was a surprise,” Cousins said, via the Washington Post. “I was actually working out at my hotel room here in Minneapolis and when I finished the workout went over and saw the news. Every player looks forward to free agency. It looks like I’m going to be a free agent on March 14. I guess there are still some dates to check off, but it should be an exciting process.”
Cousins added that he believes Washington is in a “good place” with Smith and in a position to be successful moving forward.
“I was keeping an open mind,” Cousins said. ” . . . I think Washington can win. I think they’re in a good place. I think they’re in a position to be successful.”
The Smith trade leaves Cousins in line to be the most sought-after free agent in this year’s market and says he’s looking forward to the opportunity to choose where he’ll play next.
“In this league and my story, I’ve learned that curveballs come all the time,” Cousins said in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I expect to be a free agent come March 14. We’ll see if that plays out, and if it does, it’s a unique opportunity that I look forward to. I haven’t had a chance to pick where I wanted to play since 2007 when I chose to go to Michigan State.”
While there are a number of teams that could use a quarterback like Cousins, recent reports and speculation have said the teams to watch for him are the Browns, Broncos and Jets.
Other teams such as the Jaguars, Cardinals and Bills have been tossed out as potential landing spots for Cousins. However, the Jaguars are reportedly prepared to move forward with Blake Bortles as their starter for the 2018 season and the Bills and Cardinals may have a tough time offering Cousins the kind of money he’ll be seeking as part of a long-term contract.
Cap space won’t be an issue for the Browns, who have nearly $110 million to work with this offseason. Although, if the money is comparable from other teams, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Cousins go with a team in better position to win now such as the Broncos.
Cousins, 29, is a former fourth-round pick of the Redskins back in 2012. He played out the final year of his four-year, $2,572,688 rookie contract that included a $472,688 signing bonus when Washington elected to use the franchise tag on Cousins that paid him $19.953 million fully guaranteed for the 2016 season.
The Redskins franchised him for the second year in a row this last year and he made $23.94 million fully guaranteed for the 2017 season.
In 2017, Cousins has appeared in all 16 games and thrown for 4,093 yards while completing 64.3percent of his passes to go along with 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 179 yards and four touchdowns. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 20 quarterback out of 40 qualifying players.
We have him featured in our Top 100 – 2018 NFL Free Agents list.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
