It’s Time for the Redskins and Kirk Cousins to Sign the Divorce Papers.

For better or worse, for richer or poorer, until death do us part...

Well, the first two parts of this wedding vow certainly hold true for the Washington Redskins and Kirk Cousins. We have seen “better”, and we have CERTAINLY seen “worse”. We ABSOLUTELY have seen “richer or poorer”. Now, on to that “until death due us part” line.

But wait. Let’s back up for a moment. Those wedding vows above are for people who actually committed to a long-term relationship with one another. The Redskins and Kirk Cousins were simply just dating. The organization had proposed to Kirk last summer, but he said no. The problem with that proposal - it was forced (or maybe the engagement ring was from Zales, not Tiffany’s). The fact that Kirk could see right through that phony proposal may have been the final straw for his time here in D.C.

So, even a prenuptial agreement, a mansion in Paris, and a shiny new sports car couldn’t save this relationship. The writing is on the wall. It’s time for each party to spruce up their profile on Match.com, and find their forever love!

The Cousins’ Tale is one of cautionary measures. It should, but obviously won’t, be a book about just how NOT to handle a tenuous relationship from the standpoint of the Redskins front office.

Look, I get it. If your dating a girl, and you feel you can do better, or she’s just not exactly what you are looking for, don’t just jump head-first into things. A measured, cautious approach is probably best. But when you’re the Redskins led by Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen, at some point you need to look in the mirror and realize that you are not as attractive as you think you are, and maybe after dating all these quarterbacks in the past, you need to just settle on the best you have had in decades.

Well, that time has come and gone here in Washington. The correct play here would be to mutually part ways on good terms, wish each other well, and start that new chapter in the franchise which just may actually end up “until death due us part”.

To say Kirk Cousins stunk yesterday in the season finale against the Giants would be a massive understatement. Head Coach Jay Gruden was quoted as saying this after the game:

“It wasn’t good,” Coach Jay Gruden said when asked about Cousins’s performance. “Nobody on offense played good. I called the plays, and I was awful. So anytime you have a performance like this, it’s just not good by anybody, unfortunately.”

Not only was this game a massive dud for Cousins, it may have been his worst game as a Redskins starter. On the afternoon, Cousins was 20-37 for 158 yards and zero touchdowns vs. three interceptions. His passer rating of 31.1 was the worst of his 57 NFL starts. Cousins ran for the team’s only touchdown, but this was just the sixth time in his career that he didn’t throw for a touchdown in a start.

Now, no quarterback should ever be measured on just one game (or even just one season for that matter), but for some reason, Cousins simply stinks in his final game of the season, and stinks against the Giants.

Kirk has started eight games against the G-Men. In those eight games, he has a 3-5 record, with 8 passing touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He’s played the Giants twice over his three years as a starter to end the season. His other game was a playoff matchup against Green Bay, where the Redskins were blown out 35-18. In that loss, Cousins threw for 329 yards and a touchdown, and ran for another, but he was sacked six times, fumbled three times (lost one), and picked up most of his yards with his team behind.

To put it quite frankly, Cousins has not stepped up in big moments when the team has needed him the most. Now, many will say that Sunday’s game against the Giants was not a big game, but I will argue just the opposite. A win against a depleted Giants team who probably cared more about securing the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft than winning that game, would have meant a lot to the Redskins. It would have put us at 8-8 on the season, and given the team its third consecutive non-losing season. It also would have helped in contract negotiations for Cousins heading into the offseason, by showing management and coaches he could carry his team despite all the injuries surrounding him. Finally, it would have given fans something positive to take with them into the long winter months. Alas, it did nothing but leave a bad taste in everyone's mouths - including the majority of Cousins supporters out there in both the media and NFL community.

So, what is the next chapter in this on-going saga?

I think the Redskins would be smart to at least play the tag game one more time, but this time with a caveat. I would only tag Kirk Cousins with the hopes of trading him to a team of his choosing - one who they can work out a long-term contract with prior to the trade. This way the Redskins can get something for him besides the 2019 third round comp pick they will receive if he walks via free agency. Bruce Allen has botched this up so bad, that they at least need to try and get something in return for him. Maybe they can even sign him to a long-term deal with the trading team drawing up the perimeters of the deal, and the Redskins receiving a pick (or two) as compensation. This can only happen if the Redskins at least “show” a legitimate interest in keeping him part of their team for another season (even though that may actually not be the plan at all).

If there are absolutely no takers, I hope they let him walk, and collect their 2019 comp pick. Either way, I think this needs to end, so both parties can just move forward.

The ultimate plan here would be to find a franchise signal caller in what looks to be a loaded 2018 draft class. There could be up to six quarterbacks taken in the first round this year, and sitting at either number 13 or 14 (coin flip decides the pick), the Redskins could have a shot at a top three or four quarterback come spring.

Is this an ideal situation considering how many holes this team currently has? Only time will tell. If they can still get something in return for Cousins (which may be unlikely), the yield may be just enough to justify how badly this situation was botched over the years. If not, a mutual parting or ways would be best for both parties.

However you slice this, both sides clearly were not meant to have each other.

For better or worse, for richer or poorer, until death due us part... those vows may have to wait just a bit longer to be come a reality for the Redskins and their next “date”.