Justin Fields reportedly broke his toe during the New York Jets’ training camp on Thursday. While the recovery timetable can take anywhere from a month to multiple months, several contingency plans are quickly forming.
One of them is trading for Kirk Cousins, freeing him from being stuck backing up Washington Huskies football legend Michael Penix on the Atlanta Falcons.
While there are hurdles to clear for the Jets and Cousins on a personal level after the quarterback used the franchise for leverage during 2018 free agency amid negotiations with the Minnesota Vikings, USA Today’s Nick Brinkerhoff believes the 36-year-old could be the best option available.
“There could be some bad blood between Cousins and the Jets, even though the old front office and coaching staff are no longer employed by the team. It's unclear whether they would actually pursue this option, but Cousins is the best quarterback that could be available via trade,” Brinkerhoff wrote.
Brinkerhoff has doubts about it. But it’s undeniable that this is the exact situation former Falcons star Matt Ryan described to me when I asked him about Cousins’ future and what the best path for him is.
“I think they made it clear Penix is their starter moving forward. I think Raheem has been steadfast on that, moving forward, and that's contingent on Michael being able to stay healthy. I think he's talented. In the two or three games that he played at the end of the year, I think he showed a lot of promise, so I'm optimistic about him in the future and and we'll see how it shakes out,” Ryan said.
“I think there's room to move after this coming season. I think unless something happens during training camp or somebody gets hurt across the league, then a trade can happen. I just don't see them moving him, and they've kind of put their hands up on that side too. So hopefully something comes available for Kirk. I think he's still got good football in front of them if he gets healthy. I don't think he was really healthy all last season. So getting healthy, I would think, would help him.”
Someone got hurt in training camp. And now a trade can happen for a QB who’s unhappy with his current situation.