NFL News: Next Month's Free Agency Has Busy Lineup of Quarterbacks That Might Include Kirk Cousins
The National Football League's free agency will soon open, and it is up to franchise executives to make their aggressive moves and win contracts with some of the best available quarterbacks next month, which might include Kirk Cousins.
The NFL free agency will not open until March 14. However, considering the current contract status of the players, there are a number of good quarterbacks who are likely to enter the free agency next month.
Cousins' contract with the Washington Redskins ends with the conclusion of the NFL's 2017 season. However, he might not automatically become an unrestricted free agent if the Skins decide to designate their franchise tag to the quarterback.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The franchise tag is usually reserved for the most important player of a team. This designation can serve a team in several ways such as keeping a well-performing player to strengthen its lineup or to have a more valuable leverage in shopping for trade deals with better compensations, especially since the NFL draft comes months later.
League sources claimed that the Washington front office is looking to use its franchise tag on Cousins so it can trade him for better deals later ahead of the draft in April, ESPN reported. However, it is also important to note that the franchise tag will only be effective if Cousins will agree to it.
Cousins is getting the most attention among possible unrestricted QBs. In a mini survey conducted by NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah, four out of five unnamed NFL executives said they would prefer pursuing a QB in the free agency rather than in the 2018 draft.
All four NFL bosses also said they favored Cousins among all the would-be unrestricted free agents, while the other one said he would prefer to pursue Sam Darnold in the upcoming Draft.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Garoppolo's contract with the San Francisco 49ers was about to expire but he recently extended his stay with the Niners for five more years. His staying with the Niners is also considered a good leverage for the team to acquire his former teammate Dion Lewis, who is also set to become an unrestricted free agent next month when his contract with the Patriots ends.
New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees is also expected to stay with his current team. For the 2017 season, he gained over 4,000 yards of passing and connected a total of 23 touchdowns. His performance and years of NFL experience could be valuable if he enters the free agency. However, last month, Brees already confirmed that he would prefer to remain with the Saints than take his chances in the free agency.
Meanwhile, other expected QBs entering free agency include Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater, Tyrod Taylor, Sam Bradford, AJ McCarron, and more.
