Kudos to Cousins, a fourth round pick, for getting a deal signed before the Redskins new wunderkind and first round draft pick, Robert Griffin III. Of course, it’s as standard a rookie deal as they come, valued at just around the $2.6 million range.

Not an exorbitant dollar amount by any means but, then again, no one is expecting Cousins to do much more than be a good understudy and absorb the system over the next few years. I mean, there are guys killing themselves on special teams day-in and day-out across the NFL for a third of what Cousins is pulling down.

People in the corporate world would liken that to getting paid more for doing less and most of us would agree that that wouldn’t suck. Not one bit.

Should we be worried that RGIII hasn’t signed yet? No, no we shouldn’t. The particulars of his deal are far different than Cousins’ in terms of breadth and complexity. You don’t just throw a standard, carbon copy deal down in front of your franchise’s messiah and call it a day. You fine-tune it and make sure that it’s worthy of the importance you placed on him when you mortgaged the figurative farm, horse and buggy to be able to draft him.

With Cousins signed and Griffin III sure to follow suit here shortly, what does this mean for Rex Grossman?

I don’t think you need me to tell you what it means. You already know. Rex Grossman, even on his best day in burgundy and gold, was merely serviceable and, depending on how quickly RGIII can adjust to the NFL, Grossman’s days in DC are drawing to a certain close.

Cousins signing means that the Redskins could be taking their first step towards mirroring Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers/Matt Flynn dynamic. A star quarterback and a capable understudy that may or may not have the ability to lead a team on his own. Can it exist in Washington? Well, yeah, of course it can.

I’m not saying depth exists yet at the quarterback position- it absolutely doesn’t. Grossman is Grossman (sigh), RGIII is infinitely talented and just as unproven and Cousins is a question mark, albeit a very interesting one.

At the very least, it’s another name in the bag and another player we won’t have to worry about for the next few years. Cousins is a fourth rounder and as such, he has no choice but to work hard and be grateful for every rep he gets.

His time on the field may only be measurable in trace amounts when he finally parts ways with the Redskins but in the meantime we can be grateful that RGIII is sharing the practice field with someone who will push him and keep trying to steal some of his limelight, even if it’s only fractions.

Regardless, I’m glad Cousins is on board. There should always be space for someone with a bit of talent and (apparently) a healthy stockpile of character. Now if only another rookie quarterback would hurry up and ink a deal.

We’re ready any time you are, Robert.

“Global warming has increased significantly in the last eight hours, you say? Tupac and Elvis have been spotted drinking sangria on a beach in Cabo? North Korea has actually managed a successful missile launch? See, that’s all great to know, but why don’t you just let me know when Roger Goodell walks up to the podium with the second pick, would you?”

While that dialogue may be hypothetical, I think it represents the current mental state of many of us in the DC stronghold.

If it doesn’t concern Robert Griffin III and the resurrection of the burgundy and gold, it’s nothing more than innocuous jib-jab.

If you believe in signs, then it’s important to note that RG3′s fast-approaching entrance into the NFL may well have been heralded by the goings-on in the DC sports scene over the last 24 hours.

Let’s do a quick recap, shall we?

The woeful Wizards are entering their season finale tonight against Miami on a five game win streak. John Wall, who has been accused of regressing in his sophomore season, has managed a double-double in four of the last five contests.

The Nationals have made a resounding statement to start off the season by rising to the top of the National league standings and sweeping their series with San Diego on Wednesday night, adding to their 14-4 overall record.

Then, of course, there are the Capitals. After struggling mightily this season amidst coaching changes and having to pick up the slack for struggling superstar Alex Ovechkin, the Caps closed out a seven game series against defending cup champs Boston Bruins on Wednesday night, consequently silencing a raucous sell-out crowd in TD Garden.

What we have here, folks, is a city that is suddenly winning on all fronts. Charlie Sheen jokes aside, this is serious business for a city that has been in serious need of good vibes for some time.

What, then, is the impetus for the sudden hot streak for DC’s pro teams?

I’ll play devil’s advocate for this one and attribute it to “RG3-ver” (get it?) and its subsequent side-effects.

In all seriousness, the unprecedented amount of wins the Nats, Caps and Wizards have collected his too timely.

On the eve that a once-in-a-lifetime athlete prepares to don his warrior’s feathers, the little kid in me sees stars aligning and the angels of sports heaven heralding his arrival with a literal and figurative red carpet.

It wasn’t very long ago that the Wizards were jettisoned Flip Saunders and appeared to be in full-on meltdown mode, nor was it that long ago that the Caps seemed to be wading through equally choppy waters as they parted ways with Bruce Boudreau. The Nats? They’ve played court-jester to the MLB’s elite teams since their arrival in 2005.

Suddenly, we’re seeing three drab, dented wheels spinning fluidly and with purpose. That fourth wheel, the most important one of the bunch, is getting a historic overhaul tonight in Manhattan.

Are you feeling the goosebumps yet? No? I’d recommend checking your pulse.

We’re on the cusp of something big here, folks. This isn’t just me talking, either. Les Carpenter of Yahoo! sports can tell you all about prophecy and what a Texas minister saw in RG3 when he was just a child.

I’m not suggesting there’s anything hidden in the Dead Sea scrolls pretaining to Griffin or that we should be searching the skies for a wayward comet cutting a red swath across the heavens (there you go, ‘Game of Thrones’ fans) but there’s no denying that RG3 will be a catalyst of sorts for a town that has grown listless and frustrated with its sports.

It all starts tonight.

When the clock stops and Goodell walks up to the podium, you’ll know it’s time to breathe again. Indeed, those of us who swear fealty to the nation’s capital have been waiting to exhale for over two decades.

So if you’re happy now, wait until approximately 8:06 tonight- that happiness will morph into unbridled elation.

Put your party hats on, kids: DC is about to be a sports town again.

The mad-dash to snag up the cream of the UFA crop and resign the players that teams simply can’t live without has subsided in favor of something less aggressive and, frankly, something much less exciting.

Unless you’re a Saints fan, in which case I don’t envy your excitement one bit.

So what about this business of both Andrew Luck and RG3 supping with the Redskins brass in DC just days apart from one another?

I’m a big fan of the Palm, personally, which is apparently where Snyder and co. took RG3 Monday night and is likely where they’ll take Luck on Friday.

Still, you don’t have to criss-cross the country to get a decent steak and digital conferencing has only improved in time, so why the visits?

It sounds like a classic case of saving face to me.

There’s no harm that can come out of either guy meeting with team ownership at the team facility in Ashburn, obviously.

Still, the little conspiracy-theorist portions of my brain wonder if Jim Irsay and Dan Snyder are up to something behind our backs.

Realistically, this is much ado about nothing and on April 27th, Andrew Luck will get a blue jersey and RG3 a red one.

If you’re the Redskins, though and the Colts do end up drafting RG3 at No. 1, honestly, there won’t be a thing to complain about.

The only misfortune about this year’s draft is that Luck and Griffin happened to both be in it.

Any other year RG3 would be a no-brainer No.1 overall pick but the fact that such a prodigious talent like Andrew Luck holed up at Stanford for his senior season means that Griffin looks like an ultra-talented Robin to Luck’s Batman.

I’d like to think that the Redskins aren’t blowing money on airfare, hotel rooms and high-dollar meals simply because they can but that would be naive of me.

Two words: Albert. Haynesworth.

Are they lavishly shopping around between two of the great quarterback prospects of the last two decades? Hell yes.

Will it change anything? No.

Because there’s a 99.9998% chance that Indianapolis drafts the guy who is so like their dear Peyton and because they ultimately hold the master bargaining chip in the 2012 draft.

The Redskins will take whatever is leftover after Indianapolis picks first and they’ll love it. Because either way, the ‘Skins win big on draft day.

In the meantime, we’ll have a bottle of the ’45 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, a porterhouse, medium-rare and a large helping of Heisman winner, please.