Kirk Cousins turns out the lights. The Redskins party is over.

There is raging debate down here in the DMV about who shut the door on whom, but the Kirk Cousins era in Washington ends at 3:59 p.m. EDT today with the close of the 2017 League Year.

Farewell, Captain Kirk, and thank you.

Cousins’ Tainted Legacy

Capt. Kirk ranks:

• fourth in franchise career passing yards (16,206) behind Theismann, Jurgensen, Baugh
• 1,2 and 4 in franchise single-season passing yards
• sixth in passing touchdowns (99). He scored an additional 13 rushing TDs
• 70th on the list of Best 100 Players of 2017 as voted by NFL Players.

Pro-football-reference, which captured these stats, lists 158 quarterbacks in the long history of the Washington Redskins.

Kirk’s won-loss record is 26-30-1 overall, and 24-23-1 since he was named permanent starter in 2015. The ‘Skins were 17-31 in the three seasons before.

He started the 2014 season but lasted five games before head coach Jay Gruden banished him to outer Siberia for the season. His stats for the opening five games of 2015 are virtually identical to 2014. The only real difference between the two years is that Gruden stuck with Cousins in ’15 despite pushback from on high.

Kirk blossomed into an NFL starting quarterback when the Redskins developed him to be a starting quarterback.

Cousins compares well to other Class of 2012 QBs. Comparison to Robert Griffin III taints his legacy in the minds of some. It poisoned the water when the team mismanaged Griffin’s 2012 injury. It grew when Mike Shanahan shut RGIII down for Cousins late in the 2013 season, triggering cries of racism and gave birth to the notion by a vocal faction that Cousins could never be good enough.

Sorry fans of #KirkCousins and #HTTR, but when an #NFL player is armed with choices, not picking the #Redskins makes a lot of sense. https://t.co/JGCvJsC5oO

— Deron Snyder (@DeronSnyder) March 14, 2018

The Redskins front office mismanaged both playoff quarterbacks drafted by Shanahan. That fact is well documented here and many other places. We won’t repeat the litany, but by February, we here at Hog Heaven International Headquarters could not think of any reason why Cousins should stay.

I can assure you that no one is happier for Kirk Cousin than Aaron Rodgers and his agent. #Redskins #Vikings #Packers

— Anthony Brown, The RedsCommander (@RedsCommanders) March 13, 2018

Now the saga is done. We move on. Perhaps we can unite behind Alex Smith. Who’s more “Kirk Cousins” than him?

HAIL!