The Washington Redskins had every chance to pay Kirk Cousins, lock up a quarterback, and solidify the future. They have chosen to franchise tag him for two years in a row, and they are stumbling through the NFC East because they do not have enough money to pay other players. This is a classic example of a team shooting itself in the foot because they do not want to commit to a player, and they should have taken a lesson from the Lions.
They did not pay early
Paying a player early on makes their overall value drop because a team is not paying them based on their even more recent success.
Someone who outplays their contract after a couple years can ask for a new one, but the team saved money in the interim. The Redskins have been afraid to pay Kirk Cousins, but he is lined up to make more money in a three year period than any player in NFL history. The Redskins now have too much money committed to him, and they are not building their roster in an effective manner.
He will look great
Cousins will likely look amazing, and he will go on to the San Francisco 49ers at the end of the season. He can have that lovely reunion with Kyle Shanahan that he was hoping for, and they can build a dynasty on the bay. It is a fine plan for the 49ers, but it is a terrible plan for the Redskins. How can anyone on this team perform if they know that it is going to fall apart at the end of the season?
The team is not that good
The Redskins are not a very good team, and they are hoping that they can subsist without making any real changes to their roster. They have Su'a Cravens thinking of retiring, and it could be because the team is terrible. They have a quarterback that is likely going to leave, and most of their best pieces now play for other teams.
The team is on the verge of a rebuild that may require them to completely turn around their roster. This roster is simply not good enough to compete in the Nfc East, and they will, likely, finish somewhere around 5-11.
Cousins is good enough
Even if you believe that Cousins is not a hall of fame type player, you have to admit that he is pretty good.
The Lions paid Matthew Stafford because they knew that he was better than any other player they could have gotten. They know that he can be solid for them for the future, and they wanted to have security at that position. The Redskins are assuming they will find someone else, but that supermodel you think you will marry when you leave your wife does not exist. They should have worked harder on this relationship.
