Player: Kirk Cousins
Team: Washington Redskins
Position: Quarterback
Experience: Four Years
Age: 27
2015 Statistics | Comp % | Yards | Total TD | INT | FF Points | Ranking |
| 69.8 | 4,166 | 34 | 11 | 293.44 | 8th |
Contract Details
Cousins, a fourth-round pick back in 2012, just finished up his rookie contract. While he's slated to become a free agent in March, reports suggest that the Washington Redskins will place the franchise tag on him should the two sides not come to agreement on a long-term contract.
With 18 touchdowns compared to 19 interceptions in three seasons prior to his breakout 2015 campaign, that would be a mighty big risk for the Redskins, especially considering the franchise tag would pay Cousins north of $21 million in 2016.
2016 Season in Review
Not only did Cousins finish the 2015 season as the eighth-best fantasy quarterback, he tallied an above-average fantasy performance in each of his past four starts — something that acted as a boon for those who picked up the former mid-round pick off the waiver wire.
The one issue in an otherwise tremendous performance was consistency. Cousins put up 43.3 percent of his fantasy points in just four starts. This is an indication that he was a hit and miss proposition. Taking that to an entirely new level, Cousins finished just 23rd among quarterbacks in fantasy consistency.
Cousins' home/away splits played a major role in this. He averaged 21.5 fantasy points at home compared to 15.2 points on the road.
Cousins was in a way handcuffed by a rushing attack that ranked in the bottom 12 of the NFL this past season. Without a consistent rushing attack to rely on, the onus fells squarely on Cousins' shoulder. That's something to consider when looking at his home/away splits.
Likeliest Destinations: New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and St. Louis Rams
Looking at it logistically, there could be as many as seven teams looking for starting quarterbacks this offseason. Each and every one of them will have Cousins atop their list should Washington elect not to place the franchise tag on the soon-to-be free agent.
Of the three teams listed above, the Jets seem to be a logical fit. While wide receiver Brandon Marshall has affirmed that he'd like to see Ryan Fitzpatrick return, it's extremely likely that the Jets will be looking to add a quarterback of the future.
Short of one of the top-end draft options — Jared Goff, Carson Wentz or Paxton Lynch — falling to the second half of the first round, that seems like an unlikely scenario.
In Cousins, the Jets would be getting a 27-year-old quarterback that has proven he can succeed in the NFL. It would also allow the sudden playoff contenders to focus on another area of more immediate need in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft.
With Marshall, Eric Decker and 2015 second-round pick Devin Smith on board, Cousins would have a darn good receiving corp in New York. Considering Fitzpatrick finished as the 11th-best fantasy quarterback this past season, that seems to be a darn good core group.
With all that said, it's highly unlikely the Redskins will allow Cousins to hit the free agent market — making any potential destination a moot point.