Desserts on Thanksgiving typically consist of some form of pie such as sweet potato, pumpkin, apple, and or my personal favorite pecan pie. However, for Washington Redskins starting quarterback Kirk Cousins, a good ole fashion payday will do the trick and not the delicious candy bar; I’m talking “straight cash homie” to quote NFL great Randy Moss.
Coming into the season Kirk Cousins had a list of goals and while I’ve never personally seen this list, it is assumed to have included the following:
- Improve his play on the road
- Win against teams with plus .500 records
- Score a victory in primetime
- Get paid
As things currently stand, all of the aforementioned goals have been achieved with the exception of the big pay check. So the question that arises in my mind is this: What were the franchise’s goals and/or set of expectations for Cousins heading into this season? During a Sirius XM radio interview this summer Redskins General Manager Scot McCloughan stated “the position Kirk plays, it’s pricey, but you pay for production. You get paid to win.” In my opinion, Cousins has exceeded expectations, which currently includes over 3,000 yards passing, 98.8 quarterback rating, and only seven interceptions so far this season. It seems that Cousins has one last task to complete to land his big payday and that’s to defeat the hated rival Dallas Cowboys. Right now, the Cowboys are arguably the best team in professional football. A Thanksgiving primetime win on the road against the Cowboys will be a team effort. But if this task is complete, what else will Cousins need to do in order to get paid? Win a playoff game? In that same radio interview McCloughan did reference that Cousins’ possible career legacy would factor into decision making while stating “When his career’s over, it’s going to be, ‘Okay, did you win any division championships? Did you win any Super Bowls? What’s your win-loss record? No one’s gonna think 10 years from now, ‘Okay, well he made $50 million, he made $60 million.’ They’re gonna be like ‘Okay, did he win or not?’”
For this organization however, just the real thought and/or likelihood of consecutive trips to the postseason should be good enough as the franchise looks to cross off their own list of goals. If you ask me, simply a second consecutive winning season is something to be thankful for during this holiday season. And for Kirk Cousins a rewarding payday is what he will be extremely thankful for.
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