Kirk Cousins says he would love to stay in Washington, if things work out between himself and the organization heading into the 2018 NFL offseason. Speaking with media on Friday, Cousins called being a quarterback in Washington a “dream come true,” while acknowledging things aren’t simple when it comes to doing a deal that keeps him there.
Do you want to remain w/ the #Redskins?
Kirk Cousins: "Short answer is, yes (crowd applause). I just feel it's been a very positive six years. … It's a privilege to play here. I'd be foolish to say I don't want to be here. Obviously it's not that simple, that easy."
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) January 5, 2018
The big issue here is that Cousins believes he deserves to be paid like a top-tier quarterback, which likely means he’d be getting paid Matthew Stafford money. However, the Redskins have made it clear in the past that they aren’t interested in paying Cousins that kind of money, and the price tag to keep him another year on the franchise tag is somewhere north of $35 million.
This really looks like the year Cousins will hit the open market. Other teams in need of a quarterback (looking at you, Denver) would likely not hesitate to pay him what he feels he’s worth.
This past season in Washington did not go well for Cousins or his team. Thanks to a loss of talent in free agency and then a rash of injuries, the offense was a shell of itself, and Cousins had a relatively poor campaign. He finished with 4,093 yards, completing 64.3 percent of his passes with 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.