NFL Notes: Kirk Cousins, Cowboys, Ravens, Vikings

Kirk Cousins

Free agent QB Kirk Cousins said during an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio on Friday that he just wants to win at the end of the day.

“At the end of the day, I want to win,” Cousins said, via the Denver Post. “I was talking with Coach (Charlie) Weis earlier and he made it clear, ‘Hey, go where you can win.’ That’s exactly what the plan is.

“Now … there are a ton of variables that decide, ‘Do we think we can win?’ But that will ultimately be what makes the decision.”

• During an appearance on the NFL Network, Cousins said the Redskins didn’t tell him about the Alex Smith trade until the next day: “No, the next day they reached out and just kind of explained what happened. Yeah, in this league I’ve learned to just expect curveballs and you never really should act surprised to what happens because anything can take place.”
• Cousins implied he’d have interest in signing with the Broncos this offseason: “I’m going to keep my eyes and ears open to anything and everything. I’m in the information-gathering stage.” (Mike Klis)
• When asked specifically about the Broncos, Cousins said he’d “love it if Denver is interested.“
• Cousins offered an assessment of the Jets as a potential landing on ESPN’s “NFL Live”: “With the Jets, the first thing that stands out is Jeremy Bates has a connection to coach [Mike] Shanahan. Both Mike, Kyle [Shanahan], that whole system I played in. Sean McVay comes from that tree. I just think so highly of them as play callers, as offensive gurus if you will. Because Jeremy comes from that tree, it would be exciting to think about working with someone like that, knowing how important Xs and Os and game planning is and having the right play caller.” (Rich Cimini)

We have him featured in our Top 100  – 2018 NFL Free Agents list.

Cowboys

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott said during an interview with NBC Sports Radio that he’s excited to have Kellen Moore as his new QBs coach.

“I’m a big fan of Kellen Moore,” Prescott said, via Pro Football Talk. “I pushed for that, and I know he helped me so much throughout the season, both seasons actually. He’s just so smart. I told him when he became a college coach and I had a kid, my son had no choice of who he was going to play for. I’m excited I get to play under him now, and I’m excited for him to take this role as a coach, and I know he’ll be really good at it.

“The moment he became quarterbacks coach, we shared a message and I told him exactly the things I wanted to push me and challenge me, and I know he’s going to do that. He’s so smart; he knows the game so well. He can only benefit me.”

Ravens

On Friday, the Ravens announced long-time GM Ozzie Newsome will transition to a new role after the 2018 season (NFLTR).

Even so, Newsome tells Baltimore Sun that he will still be a “very big part of the organization.”

“I don’t know what my title will be, but I still will be a very big part of the organization,” Newsome said. “I’ll be in the building and working with the team every day as usual,” Newsome told the Baltimore Sun. “This is all part of a five-year plan that I worked out with the owner near the end of my contract. Eric will have the title of general manager, which is part of the transition, but there will be very little change. Right now, my focus is on getting ready for the draft, the combine and free agency.”

Vikings

Vikings QB Case Keenum mentioned that he loves it in Minnesota and feels like there’s some “unfinished business” after how the 2018 season ended for them.

“We love Minnesota, we love it here, we love the season we had, we definitely feel like there’s some unfinished business with how things ended,” Keenum said on 1500 ESPN in Minneapolis. “At the same time, we understand tough decisions have to be made and so we’ll see what happens.”

We have Keenum featured in our Top 100  – 2018 NFL Free Agents list.