Earlier this week, quarterback Kirk Cousins told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio he would love to spend the rest of his NFL career in Washington. He talked about how, “[w]hen you look at the best of the best, those quarterbacks played with one team. And if you point at a couple guys who didn’t, who changed teams, it really was against their will.”
His desire is to stay with one team his entire career, but he’s made it clear he understands the business side of things. He generally knows the right thing to say, and when asked if he saw himself with Washington for life, he offered that up. He could have mentioned, “I want to stay for life, but I understand this is a business” and blah, blah, blah. But really, we know the score here.
The folks at BetOnline offered up some new odds via Odds Shark in which they look at where Kirk Cousins will be Week 1 of the 2018 season. The San Francisco 49ers are currently the favorite at +175. Washington is next at +300, Cleveland follows at +500. Here’s the full range of odds.
San Francisco 49ers +175
Washington Redskins +300
Cleveland Browns +500
Arizona Cardinals +800
Jacksonville Jaguars +800
Pittsburgh Steelers +1400
New Orleans Saints +2000
Minnesota Vikings +2000
Miami Dolphins +2000
Buffalo Bills +2000
New York Jets +2500
Washington makes the most sense at this point, particularly if they decide to use a third straight franchise tag. But if he doesn’t end up there, I have to think the 49ers go hard after him.
I’m a little surprised the Los Angeles Rams are not added in here. If Jared Goff struggles a second straight season and Cousins is on the market, I feel like Sean McVay would want to make a push for him.
The Saints are an intriguing option. Drew Brees is a free agent and will likely sign a short big money extension to stay in New Orleans. But if he did not, they could make a lot of sense. And in Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger regularly talks about retirement. I don’t think he calls it a career after this season, but if he did, Cousins could make sense.
Where is Kirk Cousins when Week 1 arrives next fall?