The Jimmy Garoppolo trade has ramifications reaching well beyond the two teams involved in the deal. The New England Patriots dealt the promising quarterback to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft on Monday night. Outside of those squads, the team arguably most affected by the deal are the Washington Redskins. It has nothing to do with how the rest of this season will play out, but everything to do with what will happen when the season comes to a close.
Positives for the Redskins
The saga that has followed Washington around like a flea for the past couple of offseasons has been the future of quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The team couldn't come to terms with him on a long-term deal two springs ago, handing him a franchise tag instead. Last offseason, the same result occurred, essentially maxing out a number of times the Redskins could reasonably hand Cousins a franchise tag.
If he was destined to walk, the most likely location was always San Francisco. Kyle Shanahan - the former Redskins offensive coordinator - is in the first of a six-year deal to coach the team. If he covets Cousins, as has been oft-rumored, the upcoming offseason was the perfect chance to get him. Garoppolo is only under contract for this season, but if he shows something in the next eight games, the team is going to turn their offense over to him for at least the following year, eliminating one team that could take Cousins from Washington in free agency.
Negatives for the Redskins
If Cousins still decides to walk in the spring, the Redskins will need to replace him, ideally with someone other than Colt McCoy. Unless they make a franchise-altering trade in the draft - and they've been down that road before recently - they likely won't have a good enough pick to draft one of the top college quarterbacks.
That could lead the team in quarterback limbo next season, something they could've avoided if Garoppolo was an option.
Speaking of Cousins, he'll now have the ability to demand even more money from one of the few teams who could be seeking a quarterback in the offseason. That, in turn, could drive up his price past what Washington may be willing to pay - or what team owner Dan Snyder really wants to pay. The team would be destroyed in the court of public opinion if they can't keep Cousins or replace him. But now they might be stuck between a rock and a hard place when March rolls back around.
