Washington Redskins could find Kirk Cousins answer in Oakland

The Washington Redskins are still searching for an answer to their biggest problem. Kirk Cousins is not signed to a long-term contract as early summer dawns. The answer to this problem could be found in Oakland.

The start of business for the 2017 Washington Redskins got off to a rocky start with the Scot McCloughan soap opera. Bruce Allen and company have steadied the ship in the months that have followed. They had a successful free agency period and added players that should improve the defense and passing game. The Redskins also had a very impressive draft bringing many exciting young prospects to Washington.

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However, the most important player on the team remains a one year rental. Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins have not been able to agree to a long-term contract as of yet. The deadline of July 15 is fast approaching. While all the interested parties seem confident a deal will get done, we don’t know what the holdup is.

Some feel the Redskins are not willing to commit to Cousins on a long-term deal with lots of guaranteed money. Others feel that Cousins has no reason to sign a contract when he is getting lucrative one year deals from the team. The answer is somewhere between those two opinions.

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Cousins deserves a contract with at least $75 million guaranteed while averaging around $25 million per year. His performance over the past two seasons have proven he is a top 10 quarterback in the league. The Redskins need stability at quarterback if they want to become an annual participant in the NFL Playoffs.

The front office may want to let their fellow organizations set the market value for Cousins but can’t risk losing him to free agency. They could find the answer if they watch the Oakland Raiders and their negotiations with quarterback Derek Carr. According to Carmen DaSilva from Fox Sports, the two sides are working on a long-term contract to keep Carr with the Raiders in Oakland and Las Vegas.

If the Raiders complete a deal with Carr, the Redskins and Cousins could have a set of terms to base their contract upon. Carr has been a three-year starter for the Raiders and seems to be the franchise quarterback of the future. He has thrown for just short of 4,000 yards each year while completing 60 percent of his passes. Carr has an impressive ratio of 81 touchdowns to only 31 interceptions. Speculation is the new contract will pay him Andrew Luck money, around $24 million per year which would make him the highest paid passer in the league.

As a result of a potential Carr contract, Cousins is more than justified to become the highest paid quarterback in the NFL. In two seasons as a starter he passed for 4,166 and 4,917 yards while completing 68 percent of his passes. He has thrown 54 touchdown passes while only tossing 23 interceptions. Cousins has also contributed nine rushing touchdowns which he rarely gets credit for.

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The time has come for the Redskins to do the right thing for Cousins and their fans. Prior to the July 15 deadline, present Cousins with a five year contract that makes him the highest paid passer in the game. That is his market value because his contract is the next one to get completed. Over the next few years, more quarterbacks will come up for contract renewals and the Cousins deal will be left in the dust. A contract that may seem expensive now will be a bargain in a few years for the Redskins as they become a legitimate Super Bowl contender behind Cousins.

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