News » Kirk Cousins‘ time with the Washington Redskins

The Redskins have agreed to acquire Alex Smith from the Kansas City Chiefs Drew Lock Jersey , effectively pushing Cousins into free agency following a tumultuous six years with the club the drafted him. Cousins will be the top free agent available when the league year opens in mid-March and should have no shortage of suitors.The 29-year-old Cousins is coming off his third consecutive 4,000-yard passing season. In his time as a full-time NFL starter, he has completed 67 percent of his passes for 81 touchdowns, 36 interceptions and a 97.5 QB rating.The deadline to use the franchise or transition tag was 4 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday.Despite previously saying Washington could win with Cousins, coach Jay Gruden said at the scouting combine that “it’s time for us to move on” and find some continuity at the position.The Redskins now seemingly have that in Smith, who will join the Redskins once the trade becomes official March 14 and has agreed to a four-year extension with $71 million guaranteed.Cousins could easily command more than that on the open market with the New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns among the teams interested in upgrading at quarterback.After becoming the first QB in NFL history to play two consecutive seasons on the franchise tag — making almost $44 million in the process — Cousins is looking for long-term stability in the wake of almost-weekly questions about his future in Washington persisted over the past few years. Agent Mike McCartney declined to comment on the plans of the Cousins camp in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday.This is perhaps the first time in Cousins’ football career that he has been No. 1 on any list. He did not have any scholarship offers as a high school senior http://www.cardinalscheapstore.com/zach-allen-jersey-cheap , was not considered a top prospect after four years at Michigan State and got picked in the fourth round in 2012 by the Redskins — the same draft they traded up to make Robert Griffin III the No. 2 pick.Only 39-year-old Drew Brees, who’s expected to re-sign with the New Orleans Saints, threw for more yards last season than Cousins, who is the best option available in a crop that includes Case Keenum, Sam Bradford and Josh McCown. Though during the 2017 season it was reported that Cousins could set a record for QB contracts, it’s unclear how close he might come to the $135 million, five-year deal with $92 million guaranteed that Matthew Stafford signed with the Detroit Lions. SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — Panthers coach Ron Rivera’s eyes seem to light up when talk turns to third-year wide receiver Curtis Samuel.When Samuel has the ball in his hands, Rivera views him as a “very dynamic Andy Isabella Jersey , explosive player.”A playmaker. A game-changer. An X-factor.That’s what teammates are saying about Samuel, who continues to amaze early on at training camp with his combination of speed, quickness and explosive plays.Samuel touched the ball 57 times last season, scoring seven TDs — second on the team to Christian McCaffrey. He averaged 12.7 yards per reception and 10.5 yards per carry. He’s the type of player who causes fans to get up out of their seats when the ball is in his hands because he seemingly always has a chance to score.“Whenever I got the ball in my hands, I made things happen for the team,” Samuel said Friday. “I scored touchdowns. That’s what I do.”There’s little doubt the Panthers will be looking for more ways to get him the ball this season.With Carolina letting wide receiver Devin Funchess walk in free agency, Samuel is poised to step into a starting role opposite D.J. Moore. And with the opposition expected to pay a good bit of attention to McCaffrey, quarterback Cam Newton, tight end Greg Olsen and Moore Jamel Dean Jersey , Samuel should have his fair share of 1-on-1 opportunities.That, said Panthers wide receiver Jarius Wright, could lead to some electrifying plays. Wright likens Samuel to the super-fast kid in a youth flag football game — get him the ball in open space and let people try to catch him if they can.The Buccaneers couldn’t in a game last season.Tampa Bay found out just how difficult it can be to catch Samuel, let alone tackle him, when he changed field on a double reverse and eluded pretty much the entire defense en route to a 33-yard touchdown run .Samuel doubled as a running back and wide receiver on offense at Ohio State. He gained an ability to run inside and outside of the tackles, something that is paying dividends at the NFL level.In his final 10 games last season, Samuel caught 37 passes for 457 yards while carrying eight times for 84 yards.“He’s a very quick twitch guy,” Wright said. “And on top of being so quick, he can also run really D.K. Metcalf Jersey , really fast. So when you add all of those things up I would be willing to bet he’s one of the fastest guys in the NFL.”“Watching his route running, how it’s improved, you see the growth and the potential. He’s just done a terrific job for us,” Rivera said.Samuel is now hoping he can finally put together a full 16-game season.Hamstring issues and a broken foot limited him to nine games as a rookie. A procedure to fix an irregular heartbeat kept him out of the first three games last season and caused him to have a slow start.But Samuel said he’s feeling great now.“The main thing with me is just staying healthy,” Samuel said. “As long as I’m out there, I feel like I’m going to be able to produce as much as I want to.”This wouldn’t be the first time Samuel had a breakout season in year three at a new place.At Erasmus Hall High in Brooklyn, New York, Samuel got hurt his first season on varsity, steadily improved his second year and took off his third season. A similar scenario occurred at Ohio State Nick Bosa Jersey , where an early injury sidelined him as a freshman before a quality second season and a head-turning junior campaign that included 15 touchdowns.The Panthers saw enough to draft him in the second round in 2017.“I see all of the talk that is going on, I hear it,” Samuel said of a potential breakout season. “I feel like I am a great player and my thing is, I have to go out there and show it.”