Despite Making Millions, The Washington Redskins Players Are Surprisingly Frugal
ByJoey Heldon January 12, 2016inArticles›Sports News
At the start of the year, nobody predicted that the Washington Redskins would win much of anything. In 2014, the team won four games, and there was still a big media circus surrounding Robert Griffin III and owner Daniel Snyder. Factor in the ever-changing controversy over the team name, and it was easy to expect a similar disappointing finish this year.
Instead, Kirk Cousins and Co. are rolling into the playoffs, going from worst to first in the NFC East. In fact, since Cousins’ infamous “You like that?!” comeback against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he’s thrown 23 touchdown passes and just three interceptions.
While winning may be new to the team this year, there’s something the roster is no stranger to: saving money. That’s right, the Redskins are the most frugal team in the entire league, and Cousins is leading the charge, rolling to work in a dented, beat up 2000 GMC Savana passenger van to work.
He’s been practicing frugal spending since he was in college at Michigan State. The quarterback worked a minimum wage job picking up golf balls, and began thrifty spending to save a little extra dough.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
He’s not alone: two-time Pro Bowler, Alfred Morris , who earns $1.5 million a year, rides a bike to work and parks it in the practice facility. If it gets too cold in D.C., Morris upgrades to his “Bentley,” a 1991 Mazda 626, a car he drove up from Florida as a rookie.
And Ryan Kerrigan , making good money ($57.5 million over five years), doesn’t believe in flashy rides or homes, either. He still lives in an apartment in Virginia, and shares it with a roommate.
Cousins’ knack for saving didn’t change once he left college. During his first year in the league, he and offensive lineman Tom Compton, then also a rookie, took a garage-full of unwanted furniture from a teammate. Rather than hiring movers, Cousins and Compton moved the furniture themselves. Anyone who’s ever tried to do that just winced in pain–it’s no walk in the park.
The pair moved into a “low rent” two-bedroom apartment, though they upgraded to a three-bedroom pad for the following two years. Cousins did admit he’d get fancy and hire movers if he was doing everything over again. Hey, he’s only human.
Kerrigan might be even more impressive for his thriftiness. He’s lived in a few different houses with Andrew Walker , his childhood friend and managing editor of the Redskins website. The two deemed a townhouse as “too big,” and have mostly stuck to modest surroundings. Their current spot is perfect, because according to Walker, it’s within walking distance of Potbelly and Chipotle–the two splurges Kerrigan allows himself. Normally he cooks meals at home, which is a great way to save money.
The pass rusher doesn’t own a fancy ride, either. He bought a Chevy Tahoe back in 2011, his rookie year; compared to Morris’ rickety Mazda and Cousins’ passenger van, Kerrigan looks like he’s straight-up rollin'.
In fact, it’s Cousins’ van that might epitomize his frugal spending best. It belonged to his grandparents, and he originally took it for sentimental reasons. But he soon grew fond of its practicality. At 6'3″, Cousins isn’t really a short man. The van allows him to stretch his legs out and remain comfortable.
Why are Washington’s players so insistent on staying modest, while plenty of other guys throughout the league have no problems flashing their wealth? Part of the reason might be the location of the team’s practice facility. It’s in Virginia, which has much more affordable housing than the Washington D.C. metro area. The team’s stars are all fairly unlikely, too–Kirk Cousins was a fourth-round draft pick, Jordan Reed a third-round selection, and Morris was taken in the sixth round. These players know they’re put in a disadvantageous position compared to those taken in the first round. Having to prove their worth has likely helped keep things in perspective.
And the players also seem to be aware that the average NFL career just isn’t that long. “You don’t know how long you’re going to play. You’ve got to save every dollar even though you are making a good salary,” Cousins said. “You never know what’s going to happen so I try to put as much money away as I can.”
After his breakout season this year, Cousins may see a big payday in his future. You can bet he’ll continue saving, even if he does splurge on a car made this century.
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Is Robert Griffin III Going To Be The Next $100 Million Man?
ByTravis Pulveron August 7, 2015inArticles›Sports News
The Washington Redskins have a rough year ahead of them, and not just because they play in the very tough NFC East. At some point in the near to distant future, the front office is going to have to make a very hard decision involving quarterback Robert Griffin III .
Is keeping him going to be worth $100 million?
The new benchmark for quarterback contracts appears to be $100 million these days, whether they are good quarterbacks with a proven track record or not. If you asked anyone after his rookie season, they would have given an emphatic yes for an answer. However, since then he has struggled to recover from the knee injury that ended his rookie season and has looked nothing like the guy he was his rookie season.
Over the course of his career, he has compiled a record of 14-21 in 35 regular season starts. His completion percentage is pretty decent (64.7), and he is a legitimate running threat with 1,480 yards. As nice as that stat is, it is a little deceiving since over half of it came during his rookie campaign (815).
Since his rookie season, he has appeared indecisive at times, doesn’t know when to get rid of the ball, and takes too many hits. He hasn’t really been the kind of guy you want to bank on for the immediate future of the team.
That is exactly why the team went ahead and picked up the fifth year option on his rookie contract. Now they don’t need to feel pressured to make a deal this year, but instead can wait till next off-season before they really need to. They will likely want to extend him before the ‘16 season, since he will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
When they do, putting a value on him may be tough. He hasn’t played well, nor has he won many games. However, that did not stop Carolina from turning Cam Newton into a $100 million man, Chicago from paying Jay Cutler $126 million, or Cincinnati from making Andy Dalton a $96 million man.
Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Actually, the $100 million man moniker is a little misleading. A $100 million deal could actually work well for Washington if they can get it for six or seven years, but that is unlikely. The real magic number now is the salary per year. When Russell Wilson’s agent was negotiating his deal he pushed to make his client the highest paid QB in the league, but the Seahawks would only give Wilson $21.9 million/season (not $22 million like Aaron Rodgers ).
So when Griffin’s agent goes to the table he is going to be thinking about Cam Newton’s deal ($20.7 million/season), Ryan Tannehill’s ($19.25 million/season), Alex Smith’s ($17 million/season), and Mathew Stafford ($17.7 million/season). All are quarterbacks that received great deals without having much—if any—post season success.
Comparing talent level can certainly be something that can be argued, as can the quality of skilled players surrounding each respective quarterback. The Lions and Stafford look good now, but when he signed his deal the Lions were coming off of a 4-12 season when they extended Stafford and guaranteed him $41.5 million.
Stafford’s track record prior to getting his extension was comparable to Grifffin’s (2-14, 6-10, 10-6, 4-12). Does that make Stafford’s contract the one Washington should look at when it comes time to extend RG3?
That would actually be a pretty smart idea. The Lions gave Stafford a three-year deal worth $53 million with a $27.5 million signing bonus and $41.5 million guaranteed. It pays him well without going crazy, and if he doesn’t step up within three years they can look elsewhere.
RG3 has tons of promise. So far during training camp the team has tried to impress upon him that he does not need to be Superman; he does not need to do it all. He just needs to be able to lead the other 10 guys on offense and figure out how to get the most out of them (with the help of the coaches). Should he do that while turning in his own A+ effort the Redskins could actually win a few games.
The good thing is the team has at least another year before they have to decide to do anything. They could actually wait two years if they wanted to. Maybe if he puts two solid season together that will be enough to give him a long term deal.
At the least, he will likely get one similar to Stafford that allows the team to continue to see how well he develops without having to be married to him long term.
There’s nothing wrong with being a $50 million man.
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