Kirk Cousins won't be back with the Washington Redskins next season. That much became abundantly clear when the team swung a trade for veteran quarterback Alex Smith at the start of the offseason. What the team ultimately does with their former team member (who's still technically under contract) remains to be seen. They probably won't apply the franchise tag again, though, meaning he should be a free agent in the coming weeks.

So, who are the four teams in pursuit of Cousins this offseason?

Cousins' new beaus

ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter was first on the news Saturday.

He listed four teams that were expected to make a play for the quarterback this spring. They were the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, and New York Jets. None of those teams are particularly surprising. The latter three all had struggles at the position last season, while the Vikings are in danger of losing all of their quarterbacks to free agency. Cousins could solve each of their problems.

No matter who lands the quarterback, they'll be getting a productive signal-caller. Cousins threw for 4,093 yards last season, his third straight topping the 4,000-yard mark. He also tossed 27 touchdowns. But that obscures his 13 picks and disappointing 50.5 QBR. Teams will be hoping his previous body of work is what he takes with him from Washington, rather than last season's struggles (which can be partially attributed to a makeshift receiving corps).

Which team should Cousins choose?

There's at least a decent chance Cousins will go to the team that can pay him the most money, plain and simple. The Jets have $90 million in salary cap space this spring, so they can really unload the Brinks truck for the quarterback. They have other needs, though, so they may have to reserve at least some of that space to give Cousins an offensive line to work behind, for example.

If winning is important for the former Washington quarterback, however, the choice is obvious, the Vikings went to the NFC Championship Game last season, after all. The Broncos have a stellar defense as well, but they don't have all of the same weapons out of the backfield Minnesota has. Minnesota could be a Super Bowl contender have they plug Cousins into the lineup.

This won't be resolved for at least a few weeks. Additionally, there could be suitors Adam Schefter didn't report about. But Cousins will leave Washington for the first time in his career and change the NFL landscape for the coming years.
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