Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins is set to the free agent market for the first time in his career where he will be one of the most targeted players available. There are already several teams that are expected to express significant interest in signing him to a lucrative deal next month. One of these franchises could be none other than the Dallas Cowboys.
They already have a quarterback in place with Dak Prescott, who has held down the starting job over the last two seasons. According to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk, there is a possibility that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones may pursue Cousins in free agency, though.
“I wouldn’t put that past him at all,” PFT’s Charean Williams, who covered the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, recently said during a visit to PFT Live. “We’ve seen it so many times with his intrigue with quarterbacks. We saw it back with Johnny Manziel. He just gets in his head some of these quarterbacks that he falls in love with. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a little love there for Kirk Cousins and is thinking about those down-the-field throws. . . He does throw the ball down the field way better than most quarterbacks in the NFL. [Ben] Roethlisberger’s right there with him. I know how much Jerry loves that part of the game. I could see that.”
It would be an out of the box approach by the Cowboys, but Jones hasn't been opposed to that over the years.
It's no secret that he had significant interest in taking Johnny Manziel in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, but the team instead selected offensive guard Zach Martin (a very smart pick in hindsight).
However, there are several hurdles that could lie in the way, as Dallas only has $19.1 million in projected salary cap space this upcoming offseason along with a few contract situations to handle involving key players on the team.
This includes likely placing the franchise tag on Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, working out an extension with Martin, and restructuring star wide receiver Dez Bryant's deal.
All of this makes it difficult for the Cowboys to make a serious push to land Cousins in free agency. There are also several other possible intriguing destinations, such as the Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Minnesota Vikings. Still, don't count out Jerry from at least getting himself into the conversation.
