Redskins GM explain why they didn't sign Cousins

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CGI_Ram

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http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/g...nt-sign-kirk-cousins-to-a-long-term-contract/

Deadlines usually spur action, but there was nothing happening with the Redskins and Kirk Cousins when it came down to Friday's deadline for teams to sign franchise-tag players to long-term deals.

Washington was never willing to make the commitment Cousins' camp wanted, leaving the quarterback the opportunity to bet on himself in 2016. If he plays like he did last year, he'll be getting paid big bucks.

But there was another factor as well, according to GM Scot McCloughan in an interview on Sirius XM (as transcribed by the Washington Post): He wasn't willing to outlay the sort of capital required to lock in Cousins this offseason if it meant losing out on multiple football players at other positions.

"It's a very good question, and like I said, it's part of the business that I don't like at all, just because you want to take care of your own no matter what," McCloughan replied. "And there's a reason why you dofranchise them, because you respect their talent and their abilities. But the market's the market, and some teams will do certain things that throw the market off, so then you've got to step back and say, 'Okay, who do we have next year? [Are] there three to five to seven guys that we want to extend prior to the last year of their deal, or do we want to go after one and know we're going to lose three or four next year?'

"So it's a fine line, and like I said, it's tough, but that's why we do this," McCloughan went on. "It's the market. The NFL's a phenomenal, phenomenal entity, and the money's incredible. But the way I look at it is I want Kirk in a long-term deal, no doubt about it, but also I'm not gonna put our franchise in a situation where we're gonna lose three or four younger guys that I think are gonna be good football players for one guy. I won't do it. You know, that's just how it is.

"And the quarterback position's very, very important, but you know what, so is every other position. We need football players. We need multiple football players, not one."

McCloughan also confirmed the Redskins are basically demanding Cousins bet on himself, forcing him to try and replicate his 2015 success in a second consecutive season.

"The thing about it is, the cap goes up every year, and the market's the market," McCloughan said. "And especially the position Kirk plays, it's pricey, but you pay for production. You get paid to win. I told Kirk, I told his agent, I tell all of our players: It's not about the individual. It's the sum of the parts. We have 53 guys on this roster. We're gonna have 46 playing on Sundays. It's not about the one individual. Now, like I said, if you produce, as the Washington Redskins, we've got no problem paying you -- depending on what the market is. But you've got to also realize it's a team sport, it's not an individual sport."

There are plenty of people in Washington wondering if the Redskins made a mistake by not locking up Cousins. Not reaching a deal opens up the possibility of the quarterback playing another high-quality season and pushing his luck at hitting the free-agency market. He could take a 20 percent raise on another one-year contract in 2017 and then (more than likely) get to hit the market as a quarterback with an impressive résumé.

The sky is the limit contractually for someone on the right side of 30 in that situation.

But it's also possible Cousins takes a step back. He led the league in completion percentage (an impressive 69.8), threw for more than 4,000 yards and had 29 touchdowns against just 11 interceptions. If comes close to repeating last year and takes Washington back to the playoffs again, the debate about paying him will be moot because he will most assuredly get paid a lot of money by someone.
 

Roman Snow

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kirk-cousins-you-like-that-shirt.jpg
 

Dieter the Brock

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When Brock Osweiller gets paid the kinda money he's getting paid why wouldn't you lock up Cousins for whatever he wants?

It's a risky move that'll blow up in their face whether or not he has a good season or not

McCloughan is an ex-49er idiot.... I mean he's repeating what our GM "Smokescreen" Snead was talking about -- how there are 53 other players blah blah blah -- but instead of being a huge bluff as he maneuvered up to #1 to draft Goff, this McCloughan guy actually believes it the QB position is just another position on a team....

Redskins are heading for disaster

I'm just suggesting it's one thing to take a risk in free agency with Tru Johnson with his injury history at the cornerback position where we are strong -- but when you run that same risk with your starting QB who help erase the RG3 debacle and get your team back to respectability ? I'm not sure is gonna end well
 

Dan Poplawski

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I put Cousins in the top 12 qbs in the league, Redskins always play with fire and always get burned by the fire they lit.
 

Merlin

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I think the GM is playing it right to have him "prove it" for one more season. You gotta realize the GM probably didn't cook that up on his own. He undoubtedly got feeders from his offensively minded head coach and the staff that developed Kirk that they're not sure whether he can do it consistently into the future. So use the tag and find out, sure.

Now if Kirk has another strong season it's time for the GM to shut his trap and pay up. If I'm a Skins fan I don't have a problem with the approach provided they are willing to do that.

And to go off on a tangent here that's why I think teams need to follow that old Ron Wolf strategy of taking a QB frequently in the draft regardless of need. If I were a GM I'd load that QB room with talent and have a good offensive staff that knows how to develop them.