Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins is currently on pace for nearly 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns. He's also on pace to make a whole lot of cash in 2018 as one of the NFL's most coveted free agents.
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As a QB playing under the franchise tag for an unprecedented second season, the Redskins would have to pay him an insane $34.5 million to franchise him again next year or finally come to a contract agreement after discussions stalled last summer.
Both seem unlikely, especially considering Cousins' run-ins with the front office and a 2017 season that is quickly going down the tubes.
All of this begs the question: Which NFL squad is most likely to sign Kirk Cousins in the off-season?
Candidates landing spots next year include teams with aging quarterbacks but plenty of talent, plus a former coach he previously clicked with that is now the top dog in San Francisco.
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Denver Broncos
Did you happen to see any of Trevor Siemian's passes last night against Kansas City? Yikes.
It’s not the O-Line’s fault Trevor Siemian threw the worst interception I’ve seen all year pic.twitter.com/xWhIh7S8At
— Johnny [4-3] Malone (@TheJohnnyMalone) October 31, 2017
The Broncos have the number one rated defense in the entire league, and yet find themselves out of the final wild card spot due in part to an offense that's ranked just Trevor SiemianSiemian will most likely be benched this week in favor of Brock Osweiler as Denver looks to break a three-game skid.
If Brock Osweiler is the Broncos best choice at quarterback next year (along with Paxton Lynch), expect John Elway to make a huge run at Cousins.
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Los Angeles Chargers
At the age of 35, Philip Rivers is actually having a pretty good season in throwing for over 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns through eight games.
He won't be able to play forever though.
With Melvin Gordon in the backfield to supply a solid running game and play-action opportunities galore, not to mention a healthy Keenan Allen out wide, Cousins could be the QB of the future under offensive coordinator and former Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt.
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New York Giants
Talk about an offense stacked with talent.
2017 is just one of those years for the New York Giants as injury after injury to playmakers like Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall have completely derailed the season. Eli Manning's production has suffered greatly, plus he'll be 36 next year.
If the Giants can snag a running back in the draft and improve a leaky offensive line, New York could be the perfect landing spot for Cousins.
Plus, you know he'd love to stick it to Washington twice per year.
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Arizona Cardinals
This is probably a long shot as the Cardinals appear to be aging before our very eyes.
Future Hall of Fame receiver Larry Fitzgerald will be 35 next year, and Adrian Peterson will be 33, which is ancient for a running back. Carson Palmer turns 38 in December and will be coming off a season-ending broken arm.
On the other hand, stud running back David Johnson should be 100% healthy next year to potentially give Cousins one of the best running games in the league. If Palmer decides to return, he could be an amazing mentor for Cousins as well.
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San Francisco 49ers
Yes, the 49ers just traded a second round pick to get Jimmy Garoppolo, but at this point we haven't the slightest idea how he'll perform under head coach and former Redkins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
Before the trade, the consensus what that Cousins would rejoin Shanahn. If Garoppolo is a bust or gets hurt, San Francisco could still make a run at the Redskins signal-caller.
