ASHBURN — Kirk Cousins used much of 2016 as a repeat.
He again set a record for Washington Redskins passing yardage in a single season. Like last season, Cousins threw a couple off-point, crushing passes at critical times. He also spoke after the final game, but not at locker clean out day, opting instead to do his weekly radio appearance as opposed to speak with reporters at Redskins Park.
There’s also this: Cousins is again a free agent, meaning the Redskins’ entire offseason hinges on what they choose to do with him.
They could use either function of the franchise tag, bringing Cousins back for a season at an expensive rate, presumably around $24-26 million. They can try to negotiate a short-term deal, say, two years at $40 million, or a long-term deal. Or they could let him leave, expunging the final quarterback from their 2012 draft class.
Cousins’ projected salary number stirs opinion. More important than the massive dollar figure — which is a result of the market — is the percentage of the salary cap his roster spot will occupy. Many projections have next season’s salary cap around $167 million. Because of 21 expiring contracts on the roster, Washington will have a large amount of salary cap space available. According to Spotrac.com, the Redskins will have $67.29 million in salary cap space. If they use the franchise tag on Cousins, it will cost them about 37 percent of their open cap space and 15 percent of their total cap space, which is in line with the amount he gobbled up in 2016.
Those are the numbers for a team that has multiple holes after missing the playoffs in what Redskins coach Jay Gruden termed a “barely above average” year. Washington was 8-7-1.
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“I have my own ideas and all that stuff,” Gruden said Monday. “I’m not going to go into negotiations right up here. We’ll get through all of that. The time will come for all that with Kirk [Cousins] and with the rest of the free agents; we have other ones also. We have I think 13 or 14 free agents on our roster that we have to talk about and take very seriously, not just the quarterback. A couple receivers, some defensive linemen, a long snapper – I mean, we have a lot of guys out there who need to be talked about.”
Cousins was well above average in his second season as a starter. He threw for 4,917 yards, breaking the franchise record that he set last season. His completion rate (67 percent) and quarterback rating (97.2) each dipped slightly. His interception rate remained flat, at two percent. He was also sacked just 23 times in 606 pass attempts.
Across the league, his totals were notable. Cousins finished third in passing yards, third in yards per attempt and seventh in passer rating, though just 13th in touchdowns. In the last two seasons, Cousins has thrown for 9,083 yards. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees led the league with 10,078 yards the last two seasons. Only Brees, Atlanta’s Matt Ryan and San Diego’s Philip Rivers have thrown for more yards the last two seasons.
Cousins has also been durable, playing all 32 games plus a playoff game.
A question for him is if he can improve. Cousins has played just 46 career games, which is slightly less than three full seasons. Brees has played 233 games. Rivers 180. Ryan 142.
“I think from Kirk’s standpoint, what can he improve on?” Gruden said. “I think just overall understanding of the game – scheme, protections – and that’s going to come with time. This is his second full year playing and he’s learned a lot, but he’s got a lot more to learn, both from a mental side and then from a physical side, maybe the ability to create some plays once in a while would be good – like he did against Chicago. A couple scramble first downs, some off-schedule plays that you see some of these guys make. Athletically, he’s not like Russell Wilson, or some of those guys, but still, maybe if he can buy time in the pocket a little bit, something he can continue to work on, get a feel for [and] take his game to the next level. He’s already at a very high level.”
Cousins is insistent that his contractual future is out of his hands because of the franchise tag. That’s partly true. If the Redskins offer him a multi-year deal, then he obviously has a say.
“It’s really not my decision to make,” Cousins said Sunday. “They chose to tag me and the same is true this year, so if they don’t choose to tag me then I think that question is answered at that point, but right now the ball’s not in my court.”
He repeated the argument during his Monday radio appearance on 106.7 FM.
That can be seen as a statement ranging from coy to defiant. Cousins will not have a choice if the Redskins use the exclusive or non-exclusive franchise tag on him. The exclusive tag means Cousins cannot negotiate elsewhere. The non-exclusive tag gives him a chance to sign an offer sheet with another team, and the Redskins the option to match. If they do not, they would be compensated with two first-round draft picks.
Washington needs to find solutions at both safety positions, help among linebackers, and improvement on the defensive line. The offensive line is situated. Three young running backs are on the roster. The tight end is one of the best in the league. However, at receiver, the Redskins need to decide how much money they are willing to allocate to re-signing Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson, who are both unrestricted free agents.
Then, there is the quarterback. Beyond the question of Cousins’ cost, there is another grand one to consider: If not him, then who?
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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