New Washington Redskins VP of player personnel Doug Williams didn’t hold back during one of his first public appearances in that new role this week. Talking to the NFL Network on Friday, Williams opened up about the contract status of franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins. He also made sure to note that the team is intent on signing the signal caller to an extension.
“In the worst way,” Williams said in response to a question about the Redskins’ willingness to sign Cousins. “Let’s face this thing, the last two years, Kirk Cousins has had tremendous years. And one thing in this league that’s hard to find is that guy to run the football team and Kirk does a tremendous job doing that. And with the weapons that he has and the offensive line that he has and I think our defense is a little better than what we were last year, quite naturally you want Kirk Cousins as quarterback.”
Cousins and the Redskins have been mired in a contract stalemate. It forced Washington to place the franchise tag tender on the quarterback for a second consecutive year. For his part, Cousins has been linked to the San Francisco 49ers and first-year head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Remember, Shanahan was Cousins’ offensive coordinator in Washington when he entered the NFL. The interest from both sides seemed to be real, but a trade was not able to be worked out.
Should Cousins not sign a long-term deal, he would then likely hit free agency next March. Then again, Washington could place the franchise tag on him for a third consecutive year at a cost of $30-plus million.
The 28-year-old quarterback has thrown for over 9,000 yards with 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions over the past two seasons. He’s surely set for a raise at some point soon. Whether that’s from the Redskins remains to be seen.