Speculation: Kirk Cousins and the Jacksonville Jaguars?
By Luke Sims
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles needs a big 2017 season to keep his job, otherwise the Jags may be willing to throw money at the problem and nab Kirk Cousins.
Looking around the NFL for a contingency plan for Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles, few options present themselves. Mike Glennon‘s big Chicago Bears contract despite having no major experience is an example of the dearth of quarterback talent available right now.
Myles Stedman of Yahoo! Sports thinks he may have found the answer, though. Rather than turning to the college ranks, as would seem logical if the talent is thin in the pros, Stedman suggests that Kirk Cousins of the Washington Redskins may be the answer.
On paper, it’s a compelling marriage. The Jaguars have the cap space to make Cousins the highest paid player in the NFL (even beating out Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who set the market this offseason) and could lure him away from Washington with it. Washington and Cousins have not managed to cement a long-term deal, keeping Cousins with the franchise tag, a move that is likely prohibitively expensive for another year.
Cousins has lit up the NFL in the last two seasons, clearly ascending to be a top NFL quarterback. Assuming Bortles doesn’t become a franchise passer in 2017, Cousins would be an instant upgrade.
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But that doesn’t mean it is necessarily the right move for the franchise. The Jaguars are getting better, certainly, but they do not currently have a playoff window open and are not a quarterback away from a Super Bowl. In fact, they could still be eyeing .500 as the goal for the season.
If that is the case, the Jags can afford to gamble on a young quarterback out of college. If that is the case, the Jaguars do not necessarily need to throw money at Cousins to lure him away and bring him to Jacksonville.
It is tempting to keep the idea waiting in the wings, but it is by no means one that the Jags absolutely have to buy into for now. As far as contingency plans go, this would be an expensive one.