Like quarterbacks in our league so often do, Kirk Cousins went from favored curiosity to unappreciated starter to liquid-hot commodity, all in the span of about three months.
He's got a catch phrase, which, after Sunday's 300-plus, four-touchdown performance, he opted not to use, and said that it needs to be deployed tastefully (Thank you, Kirk).
And now he has a groundswell of stories about his future in Washington. Imagine that.
"Obviously, Kirk's a guy we'd like to keep around, no doubt," Jay Gruden said, via ESPN. "But that'll be up to (general manager Scot McCloughan) and Kirk's agent and Kirk."
The Washington Post pointed out on Tuesday morning that no talks have come up between Cousins and McCloughan, and that Cousins will be a free agent after March 15. There is an argument to be made that Cousins is above replacement level and, with quarterbacks at an absolute premium, he deserves a multi-year extension. There is also an argument to be made that Cousins may come cheaper during the season than he would on the open market, when crazy-desperate teams do crazy-desperate things.
This partly illustrates how insane the NFL can be. Coaches who say every game is a one-week season are actually on to something, because who could imagine clamorous talks about Cousins' contract even a month ago? A month ago, Cousins was coming off a 14-point loss to the Jets, his second straight game with double the amount of interceptions as touchdowns.
Three weeks later, he's Kirk Cousins, baby.
You like that?
