JETS MAKE COUSINS CUT
CONTENDERS FOR FREE-AGENT QB DOWN TO FOUR: REPORT
INDINAPOLIS — In a fitting development for March, it appears the Jets have made the final four.
ESPN reported Saturday that the Kirk Cousins sweepstakes is expected to come down to four teams: the Jets, Broncos, Vikings and Cardinals.
The talk at the scouting combine all week has been that the Jets are planning to be aggressive bidders for Cousins, the 29-year-old quarterback who will become a free agent March 14. The Jets are desperate to find an answer at quarterback and like what they have seen from Cousins in his three years as a starter for the Redskins.
There had been speculation the Browns would be in the chase for Cousins, but that talk has cooled. The general belief around the league is the Browns will target Bengals free agent AJ McCarron and draft another quarterback with the first pick next month.
The Jets are expected to make a monster offer to Cousins, but it might not come down to money. The tougher task for Gang Green will be selling Cousins on coming to a team that has not made the playoffs since 2010 and lost 22 games the past two seasons.
Cousins is expected to get around $30 million per season with a large portion of the contract guaranteed. ESPN reported “most” of the final four teams are preparing short-term deals, possibly three years.
The Jets will be selling Cousins on the idea that they will build around him, which the Redskins did not do. After two seasons of getting the franchise tag and never being viewed as the long-term solution in Washington, there is a belief Cousins wants to feel some love from his next team. The Jets can do that and argue they are a team on the rise as they begin this offseason with $90 million in salary-cap space and a premium draft pick at No. 6.
The Jets also hope new offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates can sway Cousins their way. Bates has never coached Cousins, but comes from the Mike Shanahan coaching tree, and the Jets’ offense will resemble what Cousins learned in Washington under Shanahan.
Teams cannot officially begin talking to Cousins’ agent until March 12. Plenty of backroom conversations surely have already occurred this week here. Pro Football Talk reported Cousins plans on taking visits before signing with a team, so the sweepstakes may last longer than a few days.
In conversations this week in Indianapolis, many people point to the Vikings as the team to beat for Cousins. Minnesota made it to the NFC title game before losing to the Eagles last season. They have the salary-cap space to make a big offer to Cousins and are more of a win-now team than the others.
The Broncos have John Elway on their side. Denver’s executive vice president is known as a great closer in free agency. He landed Peyton Manning in free agency in 2012 and many key pieces of Denver’s 2015 team that won the Super Bowl came via free agency.
The Cardinals are looking to replace Carson Palmer, who just retired. They have some offensive weapons in David Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald to sell to Cousins. They also have the Arizona weather to sell him, which is slightly better than New Jersey, Minnesota or Colorado.