Kirk Cousins Unlikely To Take Hometown Discount For Washington Redskins
Cousins Most Definitely Has A Point
The best point that Cousins makes is about the cap. He is absolutely correct that the actual dollar value of any deal is not really what matters. The cap percentage and guaranteed money are the most important. If Cousins were to sign a long term deal with the Redskins, he could ensure that the deal was backloaded to improve the cap number in the first couple of years.
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Then, as time goes on, he could restructure non-guaranteed money into bonuses that would decrease the cap number in the future. Tom Brady has done this multiple times for the New England Patriots, sacrificing incentives for fully guaranteed money. Thus, there is little incentive for either side to pursue a major hometown discount, as it could cause problems down the line when attempting to restructure. Established players often are willing to take a pay cut years after they get a big contract. Cousins would not be much different.
Also, it seems like Cousins would be open to changing his deal if necessary. He obviously cares about winning, and does not want his contract to become an albatross. Like he said, if he feels like his contract is impeding the team’s success, like Andrew Luck‘s has caused the Indianapolis Colts problems, he could explore restructuring. However, that would not be until at least a couple years down the line.
In terms of Cousins’ responsibility to the quarterback market, that is not really a big deal. It is not like the Redskins are trying to shave a whole lot of salary off of his deal. Realistically, the least he could get per year is $20 million. Still, it seems likely that the five year, $110 million deal that Aaron Rodgers signed with the Green Bay Packers would be a great framework for both sides. Cousins would get paid while not demanding to be the highest paid quarterback in the league. It make a lot of sense.
All that said, monitoring the Cousins extension will be the biggest storyline of the offseason for the Redskins. Cousins has proven that he can lead the team, but will the two sides agree on a favorable deal? Stay tuned.