ANALYSIS/OPINION
So how can we get into the mind of Kirk Cousins to know what he is really thinking?
After all, it takes two to make a deal.
While we all wonder what the Washington Redskins decision-makers — owner Daniel Snyder, president Bruce Allen and general manager Scot McCloughan — are thinking about their quarterback, what does Cousins think about the Redskins?
What is important to Kirk Cousins?
I’ve written since last year that Cousins harbors resentments about his time here in Washington, dating back to his anger about being drafted by Mike Shanahan in the same draft as Robert Griffin III to his second-class citizenship in the building while RG III ruled the franchise to last year’s lowball long-term offer from the team.
AUDIO: Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann with Thom Loverro
Would any or all of this get in the way of Cousins reaching a long-term deal to stay in Washington?
He is an NFL player, and as we’ve learned, the bottom line is typically money. Players talk about everything else when they sign a big contract, but we chuckle at those explanations, because nobody buys them. It’s money. It’s always money, so if the Redskins offer Cousins enough money, he will gladly sign to remain in Washington, right?
Maybe not.
Cousins may be a different kind of cat.
For answers, we turn to the Book of Cousins. Yes, Cousins wrote a book called “Game Changer,” and in it he asked himself this question:
“As I reflect now on the draft and think about what I lost by going in the fourth round … it’s really only two things: money and ego.
“I’ve had to ask myself the question, ’Is money more important to me than it should be?’”
Cousins refers to a sermon he heard from a pastor the first night of the 2012 draft. “It’s when we are uncomfortable that we really see the need to rely on God and see the Holy Spirit work,” he wrote. “While my current football situation leaves me unsure of what the future holds, I do know who holds my future. My life verse … is Proverbs 3:5-6. Those two verses are not theory to me. They are my life. I am counting on the fact that God has a plan for me, and that he will unfold it as I seek to follow him.”
This is what Proverbs 3:5-6 — Cousins’ life — says:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Cousins was asked Sunday following the Redskins embarrassing season-ending loss to the New York Giants if he wanted to return to the team to play quarterback next season. He said, “It’s really not my decision to make. 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.”
When Cousins says it’s not his decision to make, he may not be just talking about the Redskins.
He may be talking about God.
The Redskins may be negotiating with God.
I don’t think that’s quite like dealing with Drew Rosenhaus.
“The Bible is my playbook for life,” Cousins wrote. “I agree with Abraham Lincoln, who wrote, ’I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. … it is the best book that God has given to man.”
I’m not writing this to poke fun at Cousins’ faith. Just the opposite. I believe him when he professes his faith, and I think he will use this faith to decide his NFL future.
In “Game Changer,” Cousins wrote, “Every life principal that I am trying to convey through this book has its origins in the Bible — making good decisions, facing adversity, finding role models, choosing friends, developing character, responding properly to authority figures, being a leader and developing our minds are all addressed with considerable wisdom on the pages of Scripture. This is what makes the Bible so powerful. The God of the universe wrote an instructional book for the game of life and sent it to us. I strongly encourage you to make the Bible your playbook for the game of life.”
So if you want to know what Cousins is thinking, I suggest you brush up on your Bible reading. Somewhere in there is the answer. I learned that from the Book of Cousins.
Thom Loverro hosts his weekly podcast “Cigars & Curveballs” Wednesdays available on iTunes and Google Play.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
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