Mark Tyler is wrong. He writes The Time to Trade Kirk Cousins is Now in his post on Hog Haven.
Tyler writes like a Cousins fan miffed at the news that Robert Griffin Iii enters 2015 season at the top of the Redskins QB depth chart.
“…and all Cousins really needs is the backing of a coach and organization, some protection up front, and some of his confidence back.”
Bloggers and fans take single-minded views of football moves sole through the eyes of their favorite team or player. Tyler does the same. It’s more complicated than that. A trade for Cousins is not in the offing. Here are…
5 reasons why the Redskins will not trade Kirk Cousins
No. 1 – No other team is interested in a trade for Kirk Cousins
If you could get a second round pick for Cousins, the Redskins would do it in a heartbeat. They would do the same for a second round pick for Robert. But, they cannot because it takes two to trade. That’s the flaw of this argument.
Kirk was smart enough to clarify that he will not demand a trade if the Redskins proclaim Robert Griffin III the 2015 starter, which Head Coach Jay Gruden did at his press conference yesterday.
No. 2 – NFL front offices are not played by the Redskins
Twenty-nine of 32 NFL teams use strategic, forward strategic thinking when they stock their team. (The Redskins, Raiders and Browns do not.) Those other teams flat out-think the Redskins in that area. We hope Scot McCloughan changes that before the Redskins change him.
Right now, other teams see the Redskins’ QB situation and guess one or both of our quarterbacks will be released at the end of 2015 when they will be available for a song. They will just wait Washington out.
No. 3 – Kyle Shanahan is not a factor
The Browns might have been interested if Kyle Shanahan was the OC. They offered a fourth-round pick for Kirk last year. Kyle is now OC for the Falcons. They are not looking for a potential starter. They might move for Kirk when he is a 2016 free agent if, you know, Kyle is still there.
No. 4 – Kirk Cousins is a Blue Light Special deal
The Trade Cousins story does not account for contracts and cap hits. GMs always consider those factors. Cousins in in the last year of his rookie deal and that’s akin to the old K-Mart Blue Light Specials. His salary and cap numbers are super CHEAP. He is the second best value on the team after Alfred Morris. A vet that replaces him will cost more – a salary bump best used for other positions.
The team that trades for him must either extend his contract now with no clue how he will perform in their system, or wait until the end of the season when he is a free agent. If he performs well enough that several other teams want him, it will cost a fortune to keep him. Teams that think ahead will surely think about that.
No. 5 – You are never too old for love, but you can be too old to trade
Cousins will be 28 for the 2016 training camps. A team could find a 3rd or 4th round Draft pick in 2015 who could be as good a starter and definitely younger than Cousins will be.
The Redskins would draw more trade interest in Alfred Morris or Ryan Kerrigan. That tells you something about how teams see the Redskins’ QB situation. (Re-read Reason No. 2, above.)
Hog Heaven not ready to dump Cousins for a 5th or 6th round pick. He has a future in the NFL, perhaps even with the Redskins. He deserves a better situation than the one he has here. As a Spartans grad, I hope he gets it. That is not going to happen on the Redskins, or anywhere around Jay Gruden.
Coach up both Robert and Kirk to make them better players. That’s your job, Jay Gruden. We will all be better off for it.
This story expands on my comment left on the Hog Haven story The Time to Trade Kirk Cousins is Now. Hog Heaven is convinced that Cousins will be a great free agent pick up for someone in 2016. Free agency allows him the choice of his next team. He deserves it.
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