First Big Domino of the NFL Betting Offseason
So far this offseason, things have been quite quiet on the Atlanta Falcons front.
So far this offseason, things have been quite quiet on the Atlanta Falcons front.
Granted, many NFL betting players were expecting a shy offseason. Nevertheless, some teams aren’t being quiet as patient.
This includes the Kansas City Chiefs who obviously feel that having veteran Alex Smith under center is no longer in their best interest.
This is certainly the first big domino to fall this offseason and it will undoubtedly impact the Falcons in 2018.
The move came about late Tuesday night, although it wasn’t completely unexpected.
What was a bit of surprise was the destination that Smith would be sent to.
Instead of sending him to a team without a viable option at quarterback, the Chiefs decided that the best destination would be Washington.
It’s a bit ironic, considering that the Redskins have been placing Kirk Cousins under the franchise tag for the last couple of years. Luckily for Cousins, it seems the days of being the franchise tag are finally behind him.
But putting aside Cousins bright future, this move is extremely questionable.
Cousins was, by what many NFL pundits considered, a franchise quarterback. Kirk is still relatively young with a handful of great years ahead of him.
The same might not be true for Smith.
Likewise, Cousins is coming off a 27 touchdown season in which he posted a 93.9 passer rating. Are Smith’s 26 touchdowns and 104.7 passer rating a real improvement?
More from Blogging Dirty
- Atlanta Falcons are the perfect fit for Leonard Floyd
- 3 Largest Atlanta Falcons 2023 dead cap hits
- Atlanta Falcons trade up for a quarterback in this full mock draft
- Atlanta Falcons: 3 trade packages to land first-overall pick
- 3 Reasons the Atlanta Falcons shouldn’t fear Derek Carr and the Saints
Even if it was an improvement, how much better did the Redskins get with this trade?
It might be hard to quantify that answer.
But even if you did, it would not be a significant amount. By any objective measure, the Redskins have remained the same.
Cousins may have a number of flaws, true, but he has proven himself time and time again. Smith is coming off a great season, but you can argue that he has the exact same odds.
One interesting question to arise from this debacle is where Cousins will end up.
Washington, showing that they’re in love with their newest acquisition, has already agreed to a 4-year contract with Smith. So there’s no question Cousins will be going out the door. The only question is where he will end up.
Ironically, a number of NFL betting sites like BetNow.eu have put together odds for where Cousins will end up.
At the current moment, the New York Jets are the favorites to snag Cousins this offseason, facing +160 odds.
The Broncos, unsurprisingly, come in second with +175 odds. Likewise the Cardinals, whose quarterback recently retired, are facing somewhat favorable odds at +400. The Browns, who have DeShone Kizer, are facing +500 odds of acquiring the young quarterback.
Next: Atlanta Falcons scoping out potential guards
Of those options, it seems that either the Jets or the Cardinals will be the likeliest destination for Cousins.
It should also be noted that the Chiefs will now be turning to second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes. It will be interesting to see what Kansas City can do offensively next season, considering how dominant they were on offense for most of the year in 2017.
As to how this impacts Falcons fans, Atlanta is scheduled to face the new and improved Redskins this upcoming season. Atlanta faced the Smith-led Chiefs in 2016 in a 28-29 losing effort.
The matchup is still a long ways off, but there’s no question that it will play a part in the playoff race.