Garoppolo contract a huge deal for Cousins

Kirk Cousins should send Jimmy Garoppolo a “Thank You” note.

The 49ers and Garoppolo agreed to a five-year, $137.5 million contract Thursday, according to the NFL Network. That would be the largest contract in league history and set the floor for any discussions between Cousins and the Jets or any other team interested in the soon-to-be free agent quarterback.

The economics with Cousins were pretty clear before Thursday, but now they are better defined after the 49ers handed Garoppolo, who only has seven career starts, this bank-breaking deal.

Cousins’ agent surely will now use the $27.5 million annual average value as a start- ing point in negotiations with the Jets and other teams. ESPN reported Garoppolo’s three-year cash flow is just less than $90 million, which will be another key piece of Cousins’ new deal. Is Cousins worth it? That will be up to the Jets and other teams, such as the Broncos, Browns and Vikings, to decide, assuming Cousins becomes a free agent on March 14 as expected.

For Cousins, his timing could not be better. He has spent the past two years playing under the franchise tag with the Redskins, who were unwilling to give him a long-term deal. Last week, the Redskins agreed to acquire Alex Smith from the Chiefs, leading to the belief Cousins will be a free agent next month. ESPN reported Sunday the Redskins are considering using the tag on Cousins again in order to trade him, but that seems highly unlikely. Any team trading for him would still have to reach a new contract deal beforehand.

The previous high for a contract was Matthew Stafford’s $135 million deal. Jets defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers will see a familiar face when the Jets reconvene in April.

The Jets signed Rodgers’ son, Kacy II, on Thursday according to the younger Rodgers’ agent, David Canter. Rodgers II, a defensive back, played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League for the past two years.