I don't necessarily disagree with the points you are making but your list here is skewed because of Tom Brady. Hes just the best QB in the game and gets paid far less than he should. If they weren't pulling backroom deals he would have the superbowl titles with a high cap number or another high cap number QB would. also- your point about Denver "its pretty clear that Denver won the SB on other strengths" , isn't that a counter argument to your point? You are arguing, I think, that it is difficult to build a superbowl team with a QB sucking up a large cap number but then also saying that Denver did it with all the other positions taking them to the title. The rookie cap works both ways. It keeps QBs cheap but it also keeps star pass rushers and playmakers cheap as well.
People seem to think that what Cousins has done, with a bottom of the pack team can be replicated by anyone. They actually believe the choice is Cousins or a younger, better version of Cousins. That they'll snap their fingers and poof, Baker Mayfield or Allen will be just as good. And at the same time dismiss his average season during his 3 years as a starter. Because 4,300 yards, 27 TDs, 13 picks and a 66% completion percentage will happen with a drafted QB. Guaranteed. Funny, we've never had a QB, ever, who's been this productive but we'll pass on one who does this routinely for a kid QB. Proof is Mariota, Winston, Carr, etc all do this, year in, year out. In fact 24 or so do. LOL.
Too bad Mac is too busy blowing his wad on Allen or Mayfield. Lauletta would be perfect in the 4th or 5th!
I could go either way on Cousins, my questions qould be, if they sign him, who do we draft with #6? Barkley if he falls? A top O-linemen ( LT preferred) The top WR in the draft to build offensive weapons? best edge rusher in the draft? Obviously it depends on what happens 1-5 but for arguments sake
http://pfref.com/tiny/VgpWX The above link is a query I did at Pro Football Reference. My parameters were the following. Current search: - For combined seasons from 2007 to 2017 - Is active QB - Requiring Pass Attempts >= 200 - Pass Completion % >= 60 - Sorted by descending Passer Rating Player QB Rating 1. Aaron Rodgers 104.2 2. Deshaun Watson 103.0 3. Tom Brady 102.5 4. Drew Brees 99.9 5. Jimmy Garoppolo 99.7 6. Russell Wilson 98.8 7. Dak Prescott 95.5 8. Ben Roethlisberger 95.2 9. Philip Rivers 95.2 10. Kirk Cousins 93.7 11. Matt Ryan 93.4 12. Tyrod Taylor 91.2 13. Alex Smith 90.7 14. Matt Schaub 90.1 (RETIRED) 15. Carson Wentz 88.8 16. Andy Dalton 88.7 17. Marcus Mariota 88.6 18. Matthew Stafford 88.3 19. Derek Carr 87.5 20. Cody Kessler 87.4 21. Nick Foles 87.4 22. Jameis Winston 87.2 23. Carson Palmer 86.8 (RETIRED) 24. Ryan Tannehill 86.5 25. Teddy Bridgewater 86.3 26. Case Keenum 86.0 27. Eli Manning 85.6 28. Josh McCown 85.3 29. Jay Cutler 85.2 30. Sam Bradford 85.1 31. Joe Flacco 84.1 32. Mike Glennon 83.2 Players I bolded are options via free agency or trade. Jimmy Garoppolo will likely get the franchise tag, so he's really not an option. Teddy Bridgewater is probably the best option without sacrificing any draft capital, or having to give out a huge contract. If we get Cousins, we should go all in fixing the offensive line. Note: I didn't realize until now that Andrew Luck fell just below 60% completion percentage. He's at 59.22%.
It shows how good Cousins is. People act as if he is not good. I say he is borderline Top 10. The post shows there are not that many better QB in the entire NFL than him. Comparing him to rookies or other FA's he is a CLEAR CUT #1 Option.
http://pfref.com/tiny/VgpWX Click that link then sort by the TD% column. I realize Deshaun Watson has a small sample size, and has concerns due to his latest knee injury, but my god he throws a touchdown 9.3% of the time. Rodgers is 2nd at 6.4% and Brady is 3rd at 5.9%. Kirk Cousins is 10th with 4.7%.
signing cousins gives us that option. if we don't sign him we pretty much have to take a QB at 6 or trade up (losing more picks) to get a QB
Well, once we don't get him we can put this option to bed and move on to Teddy Bridgewater. If Bridgewater rejects us, we will have to move on to Tyrod Taylor should the Bills release him. If not we are going with Keenum or Mr. Glass.
We are also a bottom pack team probably closer to the bottom than the team he is coming from. The one distinction is that that we have a slightly younger roster. I don't think people are questioning whether or not Cousins is any good or better than a potential rookie just whether or not he is the right fit for this team that's supposedly rebuilding. McCown's stats last year extrapolated through 16 games equates to something like 3900 YDS, 24 TDs, 12 INTs and 67 CMP%; yet no one is in a hurry to sign him and rightfully so. How much is a few more YDS, TDs and INTs worth and how many more wins does it return? I really don't need those numbers from a QB; I just need a QB to help the team win. If I can ultimately get the latter from a young QB who will also grow with my young roster while not having to occupy a huge chunk of the cap in the process, I'll "rather" that. Like I've said before, if this was the 2015 or 2016 offseason, Cousins would have been the perfect FA to go after. 2017 and 2018 not so much IMO.
Watch when the music stops, we will be clicking a link from Manish reporting Case Keenum is signing with the Jets. Mac loves him from his days in Houston. The sign Cousins crowd will need to be talked off the ledge.
This seems most realistic, Get ready for the keenum crowd... " we found our franchise QB!" "Way to go Mac daddy" "let's draft Chubb now!"
Signing cousins means at 6 the Jets are no longer obliged to pick a QB and actually have a ton of possibilities. You can draft an o-linemen (if Quenton Nelson falls to 6) he would be amazing and a can't-miss prospect. On the contrary you can also trade out for more. You can literally go anywhere with it and that's one of the positives about signing Cousins. Like it or not, if we strike out with Cousins, the Jets will go QB with the 6th pick because no one in the free agency pool is as good.
Lauletta is a perfect double up on QBs in the draft candidate if he were to pick Allen or Mayfield, if he's willing to give up on Hack.
Cousins means you are not drafting a QB first at least for another 3 years hopefully. But there certainly are other less expensive FA QB options that can provide you the flexibility in the 1st round "this year" you referenced.
Flexibility is not equal with those same FA options though. Who do we rely on if Teddy B's leg snaps in half again, or Case Keenum turns into Keenum of old. How about Bradford and his always-tearing ACL's. McCown is ancient and has been asked to be a QB coach after being on, i don't even remember how many teams. The jets have been in QB purgatory, for what feels like an eternity. Time to get out of it
Good question for a poll. If the Jets sign Cousins, I think probably most would say Barkley. I think that most of the rest would say a top OL, with some saying Quenton Nelson (the OG from Notre Dame), with others saying the best LT (Connor Williams) or maybe even RT Orlando Brown. Even though we need a #1 WR, I don't think that many posters would vote for a WR. I think that Courtland Sutton is the highest-ranked WR prospect, and he's a great red zone target, but James Washington or Calvin Ridley may be better prospects, but they are rated lower than the top 10. Undoubtedly, several would want the best pass rusher (Bradley Chubb). A few might say Minkah Fitzpatrick at CB. Barkley is a great RB prospect, no doubt about it, and most would probably say that he's the BPA. The thing is that there are a LOT of great RB prospects (Guice, Michel, Chubb, Penny et al) in this draft, and the difference between them and Barkley is much less than the difference between some of the other top players and the next best player at their position in the draft or between that player and the player who plays that position on the Jets. Therefore, I think I'd field offers from other teams prior to the draft who covet Barkley or other of the top prospects and possibly trade down. I think I'd take the best OT prospect, be it Connor Williams or Orlando Brown. If I had signed a FA RT, then I wouldn't take Brown. Some team might covet him as well, so with the right offer and if I wasn't sold on Williams, I'd probably trade down. Trading down and being able to add another 2nd round (and possibly more) would be very tempting. It would speed up the rebuild, and enable Mac to address other areas of need, or upgrade the talent level by taking BPA. It's hard to know what the Jets might do. I wouldn't be surprised if their #1 pick was a defensive player again like Bradley Chubb, Roquan Smith, Minkah Fitzpatrick, or even Vita Vea.
Like I said, flexibility in the "first this year!". That doesn't mean they wouldn't need to draft a QB after Day 1 this year or in the first in following years. Frankly, none of the rookie QBs, regardless of the round they are drafted in, are to be "relied" upon to do much of anything if/when they play next year other than to provide hope for the future with flashes of brilliance.
