In 2015, Jay Gruden made a decision that had people questioning him and his decision making when he decided to start Kirk Cousins over Robert Griffin III, the guy that the Redskins traded just about everybody for to draft him second in the 2012 NFL Draft. It was a very questionable decision, but it worked out in Gruden’s favor as the Redskins went on and won the NFC East for the first time since 2012 and hosted a playoff game. He continued to stick with Kirk. For years, we’ve all been wondering if the Redskins would just give him a contract extension, but they continued to franchise him which was shocking to me because the Redskins have been notoriously known to give out lucrative contract extensions to players. When the Redskins made a trade with the Chiefs to acquire Alex Smith, I knew that would be the end of the Kirk Cousins era. He was the biggest free agent that was a quarterback next to Drew Brees and he’ll be playing football for the Minnesota Vikings in the fall of 2018.
Since he became a starter, I’ve seen him get into a serious rhythm and absolutely torch teams. I like the demeanor that he plays with because he has command and control of the huddle and the entire offense. Over the years, I’ve seen his confidence grow and he’s played the position with swagger and that’s exactly what you want from your quarterback, a guy who feels each time he steps out on the field, something will happen whether it’s getting them in position for a field goal or scoring. He may not be the type of quarterback whose name will come up in a defensive meeting, but he can sling the football and if you don’t pressure him, he will make you pay. The best I’ve seen him look was back in 2016 on a Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers. He threw for 375 yards and three touchdown passes in the gusting winds and got a win over Aaron Rodgers. The guy simply has no quit in him. He brings it on every single play.
I originally stated that he would end up a Denver Bronco and had he decided to go there, I felt they would’ve been a much-improved team that people would’ve taken seriously once again. He enters a really good situation in Minnesota. The Vikings were one of the four best teams in the NFL last year, they have a great defense, a nice duo of running backs in Murray and Dalvin Cook who’s returning from injury and he’ll finally have some productive receivers to throw too in Kyle Rudolph, Stefon Diggs, and Adam Thielen. This move makes the Vikings the favorites to win the NFC North over Green Bay.
