The Lede: Cousins Wants Out
Don’t have time to read through 1,000 words, but need some informed betting tips? Here’s a quick rundown on today’s biggest sports story, and how it impacts the way you should bet. Miss yesterday’s? See it here.
Kirk Cousins Requests a Trade from Washington
As the NFL’s 2017-18 league year approaches (today at 4:00 PM ET), every franchise is scouring the free-agent market to find a way to better their team. Unfortunately, the legal tampering period is not going as hoped for Washington. For a second-straight season, the Racial Slurs placed the franchise tag on quarterback Kirk Cousins. But Washington’s reluctance to commit to Cousins long-term has left the pivot unsatisfied.
Kirk Cousins appealed personally to owner Dan Snyder for a trade but was basically told not to get his hopes up, per sources.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) March 9, 2017
This is an ugly situation for the team, which is already rumored to be separating with GM Scot McCloughan. Though they may not want to trade him, Dan Snyder also cannot run the risk of losing Cousins for nothing in 2018. Washington will have one season to drastically change Cousins’ morale, which will likely take even more money now.
If you were high on Washington to return to the playoffs this season, I’d hold off until this situation plays out. Even if Cousins does remain with the team, a disgruntled QB generally does not lead to success. Washington is trending more towards a last-placed finish in the NFC East right now.
After working in TV, Matt turned his focus towards numbers, specifically odds. He has been with us since 2016 and serves as SBD's Editor-in-Chief, credited with creating our futures trackers, SBD's score predictor, SBD Sharp, and his own model for calculating NFL SOS, among other products.
