Can Jets Land Cousins?

It's going to be a pretty simple formula for the New York Jets this offseason. Land a solid starting quarterback. The team could have the cap space for it going into this summer. According to Spotrac.com, the Jets are nearly $80 million under the salary cap, and they could free up another $11 million if they part ways with defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, according to some reports. One of the big names that could see hitting the market is former Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Now Cousins has had a solid starting job over the last three years as the number one man in Washington. During that time, Cousins threw for at least 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns in each of those years, and he was a Pro Bowl selection in 2016. His time looks all but done in DC as the Redskins managed to pick up Alex Smith from Kansas City, which already pretty much means that Cousins days in DC were already numbered. There has been some speculation that the Redskins might still apply the $34 million franchise tag to Cousins so they can receive compensation for him in a trade. However, Cousins is reportedly prepared to file a grievance if that happens.

It makes sense that Cousins doesn't want the franchise tag, because I'm sure that Cousins is getting sick and tired of being tagged. He wants a decent contract that will keep him. Cousins also said, in a radio interview earlier this month, that if he does hit the free agent market Cousins wants to go to a team that's built to win rather than fetching top dollar. The million dollar question here is, do the Jets have enough to be able to land a guy like Kirk Cousins?

This is a Jets team that is coming off back to back 5-11 seasons and hasn't made the playoffs since 2010. So far, Jets General Manager Mike Maccagnan hasn't really been able to hit the mark on trying to find a quarterback to lead his team. The two guys that Maccagnan has drafted haven't really panned out to this point in the NFL. The formula for the Jets seems to be pretty simple at this point, get a starter. Right now, according to sources, the Jets want Cousins in a bad way to be their starting QB. Its going to be a tough task for the Jets to do. They have to throw some decent money at him if they hope to land him, and they also have to make Cousins feel very comfortable in the system and with his teammates. There's always a possibility that he could land here in New York, which would make a lot of Jets fans, myself included, very happy.

But lets say the Jets don't land Cousins in free agency, what's next? Christian Hackenberg, Bryce Petty, and Joel Stave are all under contract to play under center this year. Josh McCown is going to be a free agent, as are Drew Brees, Case Keenum, Sam Bradford, Teddy Bridgewater, A.J. McCarron, Jay Cutler, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith. So there are plenty fo fish out in the sea for starting quarterbacks in the NFL, once March 1st rolls around.

All Jets fans are hoping for is that management can find the right guy to bring the team back to the promise land!