Kirk Cousins and backup Colt McCoy are both in their final year of their contracts (McCoy on a one year deal.) The Redskins picked up Robert Griffin III’s fifth-year option on his contract during the offseason, but if they kept him—or if he could not pass the physical before the start of the season next year—then the Redskins would be on the hook for $16.1 million. The way it looks now is that they will release him prior to the start of the 2016 season. So the Redskins essentially have no quarterbacks under contract for the 2016 season. Who will there quarterback be, you ask? We will take a look to find out what some of their options are.
Resign a current quarterback already on the roster:
It may not be a popular choice, but this is probably their best option. If Kirk Cousins can keep showing improvement and consistency, there is almost no doubt they will resign him. He understands Grudens system and fits well in it; yes he still has a long way to go to be a franchise QB, but he does a serviceable job for now. The Redskins wouldn't have to sign him to a big deal either. They could sign Cousins to a two or 3 year deal to give him another year in the system and see if he improves or they could use him as a bridge quarterback (will talk more about that later). The other quarterback they could consider resigning is Colt McCoy; the only problem is they consider him strictly a backup so they would not resign him to be the starter.
Pickup a Quarterback in Free Agency:
You will hardly ever find a franchise quarterback in free agency, but can you find a quarterback to start for you for one to three years while you improve your roster in other positions and coach up a QB? Sure. However the options aren’t very pleasing for 2016. Here are some quarterbacks who they could look at:
Matt Schaub – BAL Matt Cassel – DAL
Brock Osweiler – DEN Matt Hasselbeck – IND
Chase Daniel – KC Ryan Fitzpatrick – NYJ
Sam Bradford – PHI
The best name on this list is obviously Sam Bradford. Even though he has not performed very well for the Eagles, some say it is because he does not fit the Eagles offense very well. But I don’t think the Redskins go down this path as they could resign a more promising QB in Kirk Cousins for less money. The most intriguing names on the list are Brock Osweiler and Chase Daniel. The Redskins reportedly had interest in Daniel before the trade deadline, so why wouldn’t they target him as a free agent? He has yet to prove he is a franchise QB, but he has shown promise in the preseason and many experts think he could become a solid quarterback. Osweiler is the back up to Peyton Manning in Denver and has been learning from him for a few seasons. He has also shown a lot of promise in the preseason too and could very well become a franchise quarterback. But in the offseason the Broncos were reportedly “ready to go into the Osweiler era.” That doesn’t sound like a QB who will be hitting the market anytime soon.
Matt Schaub – BAL Matt Cassel – DAL
Brock Osweiler – DEN Matt Hasselbeck – IND
Chase Daniel – KC Ryan Fitzpatrick – NYJ
Sam Bradford – PHI
The best name on this list is obviously Sam Bradford. Even though he has not performed very well for the Eagles, some say it is because he does not fit the Eagles offense very well. But I don’t think the Redskins go down this path as they could resign a more promising QB in Kirk Cousins for less money. The most intriguing names on the list are Brock Osweiler and Chase Daniel. The Redskins reportedly had interest in Daniel before the trade deadline, so why wouldn’t they target him as a free agent? He has yet to prove he is a franchise QB, but he has shown promise in the preseason and many experts think he could become a solid quarterback. Osweiler is the back up to Peyton Manning in Denver and has been learning from him for a few seasons. He has also shown a lot of promise in the preseason too and could very well become a franchise quarterback. But in the offseason the Broncos were reportedly “ready to go into the Osweiler era.” That doesn’t sound like a QB who will be hitting the market anytime soon.
Draft a Quarterback:
The Redskins will most likely not be in a position to draft a quarterback in the first round who be able to start for them in their rookie season. And if they were, I don’t believe Scot McCloughan would take a QB over the best player available. They could however take a project QB in a later round to coach up for a year or two. This is where (if Kirk Cousins doesn’t show promise to be a franchise quarterback, but is serviceable) resigning him to a two or three year deal would make since. He would be the “bridge” QB while the quarterback they drafted to sit for a year or two is learning how to play in the pros. According to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, it is almost guaranteed that the Redskins draft a quarterback at some point in the draft, due to the fact that they don’t have a quarterback under contract for 2016. Here are some prospects they could consider:
Jared Goff – California Paxton Lynch – Memphis
Connor Cook – MSU Jacoby Brissett – N.C. State
Cardale Jones – OSU Christian Hackenberg – Penn State
Travis Wilson – Utah Taysom Hill – BYU
Jake Rudock – Michigan
It would be difficult for the Redskins to get Jared Goff as he could potentially go number one overall. Some even consider him the best quarterback coming out of the draft since Andrew Luck, but others believe he still has more to prove before he gets that high of praise. He has good throwing mechanics and accuracy and has decent arm strength. Paxton Lynch (6’7” 245) is probably the hottest name in the draft as of right now. He has put up terrific stats at Memphis, but his strength of schedule is a bit of a concern. He has shown he can make all the throws, pass accurately, fit the ball into tight windows, and also make plays with his legs. He does, however, have a wide throwing motion that could delay his release time. He along with Goff are viewed as first round prospects. Connor Cook, Christian Hackenberg, and Cardale Jones have all watched their draft stocks fallen. Cook has been viewed as inconsistent and could have issues on-and-off the field, Cardale Jones was benched for J.T. Barrett, and Hackenberg has not been himself since his freshman season and many scouts believe is more of a project rather than a prospect. Jacoby Brissett is an interesting player worth watching, some scouts believe he could become a Russell Wilson type player after a few years of learning how to play at the NFL level. Travis Wilson (6’6” 240) is another player that is worth watching. He is inconsistent at times but has good arm strength and size, he could be someone you could coach up for two or three years (like Brock Osweiler) and possibly become a very good player. Taysom Hill has not been able to play very much the past 2 years as he has gone out with two season ending injuries. He is a very physical player who can run with the ball very well (much like Tim Tebow) and is someone who could be taken in the late rounds. Jake Rudock is an intriguing player as well. He plays in a pro-style offense at Michigan and could rise up draft boards if he finishes the season strong.
Jared Goff – California Paxton Lynch – Memphis
Connor Cook – MSU Jacoby Brissett – N.C. State
Cardale Jones – OSU Christian Hackenberg – Penn State
Travis Wilson – Utah Taysom Hill – BYU
Jake Rudock – Michigan
It would be difficult for the Redskins to get Jared Goff as he could potentially go number one overall. Some even consider him the best quarterback coming out of the draft since Andrew Luck, but others believe he still has more to prove before he gets that high of praise. He has good throwing mechanics and accuracy and has decent arm strength. Paxton Lynch (6’7” 245) is probably the hottest name in the draft as of right now. He has put up terrific stats at Memphis, but his strength of schedule is a bit of a concern. He has shown he can make all the throws, pass accurately, fit the ball into tight windows, and also make plays with his legs. He does, however, have a wide throwing motion that could delay his release time. He along with Goff are viewed as first round prospects. Connor Cook, Christian Hackenberg, and Cardale Jones have all watched their draft stocks fallen. Cook has been viewed as inconsistent and could have issues on-and-off the field, Cardale Jones was benched for J.T. Barrett, and Hackenberg has not been himself since his freshman season and many scouts believe is more of a project rather than a prospect. Jacoby Brissett is an interesting player worth watching, some scouts believe he could become a Russell Wilson type player after a few years of learning how to play at the NFL level. Travis Wilson (6’6” 240) is another player that is worth watching. He is inconsistent at times but has good arm strength and size, he could be someone you could coach up for two or three years (like Brock Osweiler) and possibly become a very good player. Taysom Hill has not been able to play very much the past 2 years as he has gone out with two season ending injuries. He is a very physical player who can run with the ball very well (much like Tim Tebow) and is someone who could be taken in the late rounds. Jake Rudock is an intriguing player as well. He plays in a pro-style offense at Michigan and could rise up draft boards if he finishes the season strong.
MY PREDICTION: (It's still a long way out, so anything can happen but here it is) Sign Kirk Cousins or Chase Daniel and draft Travis Wilson or Jake Rudock.