The Redskins missed the postseason for back to back seasons and will again have to deal with a Kirk Cousins free agency due to them being hesistant about throwing a large contract at him. Redskins’ Head Coach Jay Gruden offered praise of Cousins as he performed well this season considering circumstances such as Washington finishing 7-9. Gruden also seemed to not have the most confidence in Cousins moving forward despite his stats. Cousins finished 2017 with 4,093 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 13 intercepions.
Per John Keim of ESPN.com, Gruden said that the Redskins may have to prepare to lose Cousins in free agency. This is the third straight offseason in which Washington is facing the decision of giving Cousins a long-term deal or simply giving him a franchise tag. Colt McCoy is Cousins’ backup and Gruden stressed that the may be the new QB if Cousins departs.
“He’s been in the system for a while,” said Gruden. “You can see him do some things. We’re not appointing anybody a starting quarterback now. I’m not saying Colt is the heir apparent and he’ll start tomorrow. I just know Colt has been in the building, and I have total faith that if he was given an opportunity, he’d be ready to produce. That’s how I feel about Colt. We’re not going to give him the keys right now. We’re still trying to work things out with the other quarterback, and hopefully things will work out. But I know Colt is ready to play.” (Per ESPN.com)
The Redskins have the options of giving Cousins a new contract within the realm of $25 million per year, a franchise tag of $34,5 million, or a transition tag of $28.8 million.
Flip the page to see Jay Gruden offering his evaluation of Kirk Cousins in 2017 and his free agency.