Jets to do "whatever it takes" to get Kirk Cousins

If reports are accurate the New York Jets are going to do everything in their power to get Kirk Cousins.

According to Rich Cimini of ESPN, the Jets want Cousins so badly that they are willing to do, and pay whatever it takes to get him. There is also a report from Pro Football Talk that the Jets are considering breaking the bank for Cousins and giving him a fully-guaranteed contract.

Again these are all rumors at this point, but when you consider the Jets plight at quarterback; General Manager Mike Maccagnan's inability to draft a good quarterback in the draft not just once, but twice, and the uncertainty of this year's quarterback draft class, the Jets have to get Kirk Cousins.

That's right, I said it, they have to! 

The Jets have over $70 million to spend in salary cap space, and some believe they will have more cap room after they release Muhammad Wilkerson next month. This is a franchise that has been in quarterback purgatory for far too long and adding Cousins will undoubtedly give this team (on paper) the best quarterback they have had since --- Chad Pennington? Joe Namath? Ever? Let's go with ever, because it is the Jets after all.

So in a win-or-die year for Maccagnan and Head Coach Todd Bowles, landing Cousins could help keep them aboard the Jets green and white ship longer (... unless you talk to Eric Managini after the Brett Favre fiasco in 2008).

Cousins has been one of the league's most consistent passers from a statistical standpoint in the past three seasons, completing 65 percent of his passes and throwing for 4,000 yards in each of the last three years. At 30 years old, he still has a lot of good football in him.

The only blemish on Cousin's record is, well, ... his record. Cousins is 26-30-1 as a starting quarterback in the NFL, and has appeared in only one playoff game. A lot of people feel that Cousins is undeserving of a big contract because of his mediocre winning percentage, and they have a good point. In fact, no player in the NFL is worth upwards of $100 to $150 million with about $25 million guaranteed a year. Nobody!

If Cousins is going to sign with the Jets, he'll probably have to take his asking price down a bit, which might be tough considering his peers like Matthew Stafford and Jimmy Garoppolo have all hit it big with mega contracts.

It's not like Cousins doesn't have other suiters whom the Jets will compete with in the coming weeks. The Broncos are expected to be a favorite to land Cousins because of the offensive scheme they run, and the fact the Broncos still have a win-now defense. John Elway is also a excellent negotiator, just Google Payton Manning.

The Jets can offer Cousins a similar offensive system as Denver. Offensive Coordinator Jeremy Bates comes from the Mike Shanahan coaching tree, and Cousins lauded Bates during Super Bowl week. They also can offer Cousins a team that is younger than Denver that will be ready to win for years to come. What is Denver's window? It's likely closing, especially with all those defensive players getting up in age.

New York is also a nice place to be from the marketing standpoint, and I am sure the Jets can give Cousins and his wife the grand tour of northern New Jersey to show them what a great suburban state it is outside of Newark and New York City.

We are getting closer and closer to free agency day in the NFL. If the Jets want to end years of mediocrity, end years of frustration and give their fleeting fanbase some hope this year and for future years, they need to and should roll out the red carpet for Kirk Cousins.