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Despite being set up to regress, Kirk Cousins playing like a franchise QB

By Nathan Britton

LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 13: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins walks onto the field prior to a game against the Minnesota Vikings at FedExField on November 13, 2016 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 13: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins walks onto the field prior to a game against the Minnesota Vikings at FedExField on November 13, 2016 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 15: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins scores a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at FedExField on October 15, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 15: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins scores a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at FedExField on October 15, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Playing on his second straight franchise tag, Kirk Cousins is showing why the Redskins may have missed the boat on their franchise quarterback since day one.

Washington is sitting with a 3-2 record heading into a prime time showdown with the division leading Eagles. Quarterback Kirk Cousins will look to put his team two games above .500 and put a dent in the Eagles’ division lead in the process. While the team is vastly improved on defense, and has a chance to stake their claim as one of the top teams in the NFC, the biggest story remains with the man under center.

Kirk Cousins, who has been disrespected by the front office for two years, with 2018 being a possible third year, has done nothing but make them look foolish each time. In 2015, Cousins became the starter before the start of the regular season, with the former No. 2 overall pick Robert Griffin III on the bench. After a fringe pro-bowl caliber year in 2015, and leading the team to a division championship, Washington’s front office low balled the free agent quarterback. The team failed to even come close to the deal Brock Osweiler received from Houston, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Cousins had a much larger, and much better sample to look at, and the Redskins still gave him less than Osweiler. It was later reported that the Cousins camp had offered Washington a team-friendly deal at $19.5 million per year, the price of his eventual tag, as reported by 106.7 The Fan’s Grant Paulsen.

After receiving his first franchise tag, Cousins went on to lead Washington to its first back-to-back winning seasons since the ’97-’98 seasons. In 2016, Cousins finished third in passing yardage per NFL.com’s stats, with a career best 4,917 yards, a number that shattered Cousins’ previous record set the year before. Another offseason came after Washington had just missed the post season in 2016, leaving the Redskins with a big decision regarding their franchise passer. Set to make $24 million on his second franchise tag, Cousins turned down the Redskins offer of $20 million per year with low guarantees. Cousins decided again to bet on himself, and he’s winning that bet.

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