Free agent quarterback to be Kirk Cousins says he doesn’t take the trade personal that brought Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins.
Kirk Cousins has learned the refrain that every other player has also learned to say: it’s just a business. The longtime Washington Redskins quarterback is likely going to hit free agency on March 14 after the franchise for which he’s started 57 career games traded for a brand new starter in Alex Smith. Despite the surprise trade, however, Cousins said this week that he’s aware of the nature of the NFL—which can unofficially stand for Not For Long.
"“I don’t take it personal,” Cousins said. “It’s a business. I just don’t get my hopes up. I don’t expect too much from people in the league because you just never know what could happen.”"
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The trade surprised everyone, from NFL analysts to fans and players, on both sides of the deal. When the Kansas City Chiefs announced they’d traded Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins for a third round choice and cornerback Kendall Fuller, it shocked everyone—including the player involved. Fuller himself found out he’d been traded on Twitter, a sign of the dysfunctional communication on Washington’s side of all of this.
For Cousins, being surprised by the trade is likely a very, very good thing in his eyes. The fact that the Washington Redskins are pushing him toward free agency and will not use their franchise tag on him means that he’s going to become a very, very rich man as the top available free agent quarterback on the market. With Smith out of the way, any competition available via trade is also out of the way. If someone wants him, and many will, they will have to pay through the nose.
It wouldn’t surprise anyone if Cousins ended up being the highest paid player in the NFL after this season given the importance at quarterback and the ever-ascending salary cap. It won’t be an honor that lasts too long, but at least for some length of time, Cousins should be able to boast in a deal worth up to $30 million a year, according to some projections.
That sort of security on the horizon typically leads to not taking things so personally in the present.