Banking on Kirk Cousins to Match Stats May Be Hail Mary

Kirk Cousins’ free agency is one of the biggest stories of the NFL offseason, as the Washington quarterback could demand as much as $30 million annually in what’s sure to be a ground-breaking contract. For a team like the New York Jets, such a signing may give the team its best quarterback play in decades. But The Athletic recently took stock of Cousins’ future by way of reviewing past marquee quarterbacks who have changed teams in their prime.

There are the incredible success stories like Sonny Jurgensen and Drew Brees, who turned themselves into Hall of Famers in Washington and New Orleans, respectively. A different type of precedent-setter is Jay Cutler, who was traded in 2009 from Denver to Chicago, where he recorded a much-beleaguered 51-51 stint. The man who is set to replace Cousins in Washington, Alex Smith, was traded at a similar time in his career to Kansas City, where he played admirably, but went only 1-4 in the playoffs.