With the Washington Redskins making a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for Alex Smith, it is quite clear that Washington is ready to move on from Kirk Cousins. This move makes it also clear that the Chiefs feel they can win under Patrick Mahomes.
Cousins was franchise tagged for 2 years in a row so he is feeling undervalued and is ready to test the ranks of free agency. Kirk Cousins is not an elite quarterback by any means, but he is good enough to play solid and win NFL games.
He is very similar to Alex Smith in the sense that what he does is not flashy, but he wins games. A lot of teams will be after him but there’s only a few that he has a good chance of ending up at.
New York Jets
Everyone is speculating he could end up at the Jets because of his connection with new OC Jeremy Bates. Bates comes from the same coaching tree as Kyle Shanahan on Sean McVay, so it is easy to see why this has been a thought for Cousins.
Kyle Shanahan has done great work with San Francisco, he had Jimmy Garoppolo firing on all cylinders at the end of the year and could do the same next year.
Sean McVay turned Jared Goff into the most improved player of this season in only a year. He was also able to lead a team that went 4-12 last year to a Wild Card game and 11-5 record this year. It is easy to see why Kirk Cousins and the Jets could work out.
Arizona Cardinals
With Carson Palmer and Bruce Arians is gone, the Arizona Cardinals have their hands full. This is not a rebuild, and that has been very clear by new head coach Steve Wilks, it is only a retool.
This is a great Cardinals team with a solid defense and pieces on offense. The downfall in the desert is that their quarterback can never seem to stay healthy especially down the stretch.
With Cousins, they have a shot at the playoffs and even beating the Los Angeles Rams out for the NFC West. Kirk Cousins should take a good hard look at the Arizona Cardinals if his priority is winning.
Denver Broncos
If John Elway knows one thing its quarterbacks, and he wants Kirk Cousins. The entire Broncos organization wants Cousins, and they’re making it very clear. The offense is good, not as good as it once was, but they have weapons Cousins can throw to.
The defense is still rocking solid with Von Miller leading them as he has for a while. There is a brand of winning in Denver, and Kirk Cousins might be able to return them to their winning ways.
Dark Horse: Jacksonville Jaguars
This is very unlikely as I see it, but stranger things have happened. The Jags were the breakout team of 2017, their defense was the best in the league and it was not even close.
Blake Bortles led the team all the way to the AFC championship where they lost inside of two minutes to another Tom Brady spectacular. Their play calling showed that they did not have the most confidence in Bortles, but would they abandon him now after all he did this year?
If the Jags organization is confident Kirk Cousins can lead them to a Super Bowl than it could happen. It’s unlikely, but you never know.