Despite a solid couple of years as the Washington Redskins signal-caller, the team decided to let Kirk Cousins walk this offseason. They made their intentions clear early on, trading for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith on January 30th. The Redskins traded cornerback Kendall Fuller and a 2018 third-round draft pick to the Chiefs for Smith.
Washington then quickly signed the veteran to a four-year contract extension worth $94 million, including $71 million guaranteed . That shocked many who follow the NFL closely, but the Redskins clearly valued Smith a lot differently than they did the incumbent Cousins.
Cousins was not hurting for long, however. He quickly signed a 3-year, $84 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings on March 15th. The deal was fully guaranteed, which was an NFL record. Cousins got a $3 million signing bonus with a base salary in 2018 that is $22.5 million, followed by $27.5 million in 2019 and $29.5 million in 2020.
So, why were the Redskins so eager to move on from a player so highly valued by most other teams?
Simple. Washington expects to be better and have a higher chance for success with Smith. With that being said, here are the three reasons why the Redskins will, indeed, be better with Smith at the helm.
3. Winning
While there is no question Cousins put up solid numbers as a starter for the Redskins, it hasn't translated to a ton of success. Cousins-led teams finished in third place in the NFC East the past two years while Smith's Kansas City Chiefs won the AFC West both years. Smith led the Chiefs to an average of 11 wins the past three years while Cousins and the Redskins averaged just 8 wins in the same span.
Kansas City has made the playoffs in four of the five seasons that Smith was at the helm, and barely missed them in 2014 with a 9-7 record. The Chiefs never had a losing record with Smith on the team and were consistently one of the top teams in the entire NFL. Stats aside, winning is what matters the most to the decision-makers of any organization.
2. Experience
Yes, Cousins started the previous three years for the Redskins, playing in each game. Still, he sat for most of his first three years in the league before taking over the starting gig. Smith, on the other hand, has been a starter in the NFL since 2006. Smith has led his team to the playoffs numerous times, which is a measure that most front offices look for in the quarterback. His team has made the playoffs on five different occasions and he has started seven total playoff games in his career. That's a big advantage over Cousins who has just three seasons as a starter and just one playoff game.
1. Safety
If there is one thing nearly everyone knows about Smith, it's that he is about as safe as it gets at the quarterback position. While that has earned him a reputation as a game-manager, the value in a quarterback that plays it safe cannot be understated.
Smith hasn't thrown double-digits interceptions in a season since 2010. Cousins, on the other hand, has thrown double-digit picks in every season that he has been a starter. Cousins had 36 total interceptions the past three years compared to just 20 in the same time-span for Smith.
Cousins also has double the amount of fumbles in that span, coughing up the ball 16 times compared to just eight for Smith. In his seven total playoff games, Smith had just five total turnovers while Cousins fumbled three times in his lone playoff start. Given the importance of ball security, it is clear Smith is a much safer bet than Cousins.
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