Joe Theismann: Jets Have Stiff Competition From Jaguars, Broncos For Cousins
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann believes soon-to-be former Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins "could very well be a good fit" for the Jets, but if he were in Cousins' shoes, Gang Green wouldn't be at the top of his list.
The Redskins and Chiefs agreed to a trade Tuesday night that will send quarterback Alex Smith to Washington, paving the way for Cousins to hit free agency.
Of course, the Jets are once again in the market for a quarterback, have more than $70 million to spend this offseason and could free up even more cap space by releasing some players, namely defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson.
Talking to WFAN's Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Wednesday, Theismann said he suspects the Jets, Browns, Broncos, Jaguars and possibly Bills will make a run at Cousins.
Theismann described the thought process Cousins will likely go through before signing with a new team.
"Economically, I know I'm going to get it, so let's take the money out of it," Theismann said. "What football team offers me the best opportunity to be able to play in the playoffs and a championship game? What's their defense look like? What's their wide receivers like? How do I feel about the coaching staff? What does the system look like I'm going to enter into? These are all questions that Kirk is going to have to have answered for him to be able to make a decision."
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Theismann's checklist more or less matched the one Cousins laid to WFAN on Tuesday before learning about the Smith trade.
Theismann said defense could end up being the first thing Cousins looks at "because, believe me, defenses bail you out of a lot of bad situations." He added that the playing in the AFC East could hurt the Jets in Cousins' eyes because their path of advancing in the playoffs is tougher.
The 1983 NFL MVP then ranked the teams he thought had the best shot at landing Cousins, putting Jacksonville first, followed by Denver -- both of those teams had defenses that ranked in the top three this season. Theismann then ranked the Jets third, Bills fourth and Browns fifth.
To listen to the interview, click on the audio player above.
