Kirk Cousins to Command Big Money Contract this Offseason

The recent history of the Washington Redskins isn’t exactly littered with stellar quarterback play. But in the modern NFL, even pedestrian signal callers are becoming harder and harder to come by, and that scarceness could land Kirk Cousins a big contract when his rookie deal expires at the end of the 2015 season.

Former NFL agent and salary cap analyst for CBS Sports, Joel Corry, warned that Cousins could command a minimum of “$25 million over two years” with incentives, a la the contract Nick Foles signed with the St. Louis Rams.

Corry hedged his bets, saying that “there’s not a whole lot [Cousins] can do at this point to drastically diminish his value,” but added that should Cousins “play lights out [to end the season],” he could be looking at a much bigger payday.

Barring any unexpected setbacks, Cousins could be looking at top-tier quarterback money in the area of “$77 [million] over 4 [years],” not unlike Ryan Tannehill’s contract with the Dolphins.

While securing the service of a potential franchise quarterback is extremely high on the priority list for many an NFL franchise, efforts to lock down a star have been a total crapshoot in recent seasons.

The Bengals’ controversial decision to ink Andy Dalton’s name paid dividends with his MVP-calibre play before succumbing to an injury this year. Tannehill and Foles, the two names brought up as having similar deals to the terms of Cousins’ contract, have failed to live up to front office expectations, with the latter even being benched a few weeks ago.

It might end up being a case of “once bitten, twice shy” for the Redskins after the franchise infamously gave up a king’s ransom of picks to draft Robert Griffin III in 2012. Those sorts of trades rarely work out as a win-win, but it’s important to remember that the sky seemed to be the limit for RG3 following his Rookie of the Year campaign that season.

For the kind of money Cousins is expected to demand, a one-year franchise tag might be the best option. If Captain Kirk can replicate his solid play next season and pull Washington to a winning record, the once-proud franchise may have finally found its main man.