Cleveland Browns: McCloughan says Cousins is not ‘special’
By Randy Gurzi
Could comments from Cleveland Browns draft consultant Scot McCloughan indicate that the team has no interest in paying for veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins?
The insane contract given by the San Francisco 49ers to the inexperienced Jimmy Garoppolo has berthed many questions, including some for the Cleveland Browns. The biggest question is what it would cost them to lure in a more experienced starting quarterback like Kirk Cousins.
While salary cap space is no issue at this point for Cleveland, the five-year $135 million deal Garoppolo struck would be a starting point for a guy like Cousins, who has 57 starts compared to Garoppolo’s seven.
While we all ponder that, a report from a trusted Browns source may make that all a moot point. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com brought up an old radio interview with new draft consultant Scot McCloughan, in which he claimed Cousins was not a special player.
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"“the former Redskins GM revealed that he doesn’t see Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins, the headliner in free agency, as special.” — McCloughan said back in January according to Cabot of Cleveland.com"
This news isn’t shocking for anyone who knows the history. After the Washington Redskins gave up on former second-overall pick Robert Griffin III, Cousins became the starter. That was in 2015, which was also the first of two seasons McCloughan spent as the general manager of the Redskins.
While he was making decisions for them, McCloughan refused to give Cousins a long-term deal. His refusal to do so led to the back-to-back franchise tags that Cousins went through before this year.
In that same interview, the draft expert professed — again — his admiration for Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield. While he may not make the final call, the fact that he is speaking so freely is telling.
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In the end, the decisions will be general manager John Dorsey’s, as McCloughan is there simply to help the team scout the 2018 class. However, Dorsey must trust him to bring him in for such a role and his words could mean that the team has no interest in seeing where Cousins starting point for salary demands would be.