The Washington Redskins might just want to move on from this entire Kirk Cousins situation. They acquired Pro Bowler Alex Smith earlier in the offseason to replace Cousins under enter. With a commitment of that ilk, it’s obvious Washington has no intention to keep Cousins. More than that, there’s no way Cousins agrees to even think about playing for the Redskins.
Despite this, Washington’s brass seems to think it’s playing this situation close to the best. It’s not. And this latest report from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio tells us this story in a big way.
“As one source with knowledge of the manner in which Washington president Bruce Allen does business put it, Allen will try to conjure up something in an effort to salvage value for Cousins and, in turn, make it harder for him to hit the open market and finally get the long-term contract he deserves. As another source put it regarding Washington,” Florio reported.
The source went on to note that Washington is “in the pettiness game.”
That’s fine. Whatever floats their boat. But Cousins is reportedly ready to file a grievance against the Skins should they place the tag on him (more on that here).
The situation between Cousins and his soon-to-be former Redskins team is by now well known. The two sides have had years to avoid this. At every turn, a wall seemed to erect between both sides. Whether it was Cousins reportedly wanting to play for the 49ers or Washington not having faith in him as a franchise quarterback, nothing ever came to fruition.
With mere weeks left until the start of free agency, the Redskins are apparently willing to let petty consume them. In doing so, they’re also willing to let it impact their own bottom line. After acquiring Smith from Kansas City, the Skins signed him to a four-year, $94 million contract. For his part, Cousins would count $35-plus million against the cap should he be franchised.
That’s not happening. The Redskins are not paying that. And he would not even come close to reporting for offseason activities if that somehow came to fruition. Everyone knows this.
On a semi-related note, there’s nothing stopping Cousins from signing the tag immediately. This would force Washington into a situation of having to drop the tag immediately or release key veterans in order to remain under the cap. Is the Redskins’ level of petty high enough for them to even consider this? Time will tell.
But for now, they’re merely become a joke and hurting their own standing around the league.