RICHMOND, Va. -- While he auditions for the Washington Redskins yet again, Kirk Cousins will be paid almost $1.25 million per game. Thats a lot of money to figure out whether youre interested in having a long-term relationship with your quarterback.Only the second signal-caller to play a?full season under the franchise tag since it was instituted in 1993 (Drew Brees was the first), Cousins received a 2,923 percent raise, from $660,000 last season to $19.95 million on a one-year deal, according to ESPN Stats & Information. However, even after Cousins, whom the team drafted and developed, had arguably the greatest year statistically for a passer in Redskins history, management still has doubts about him.For Cousins to get the multiyear contract he believes he deserves, he must convince the Redskins hes not a one-hit wonder.Great, he had one year, Redskins coach Jay Gruden said at the beginning of training camp. There have been a lot of quarterbacks in the history of the league that have had good, solid, one-year seasons.Under the collective bargaining agreement, the Redskins werent obligated to give Cousins what he wanted -- but theyre in dangerous territory now. If you have a top-tier quarterback in a quarterback league, you dont risk angering him. How the situation is resolved could determine the direction of the franchise for a decade.With Cousins leading the offense, things have been good recently. He was the biggest reason the Redskins won the NFC East last season despite ranking 28th in the league in defense and 30th in yards per rush at only 3.7. Cousins, 27, led the NFL with a 69.8 completion percentage, becoming the first Redskins quarterback to lead the league in that stat since Sonny Jurgensen did it in 1970. Cousins ranked sixth in total QBR and eighth in yards per attempt, and he set Redskins single-season marks for passing yards (4,166) and completions (379).Mike Shanahan wasnt surprised. When the two-time Super Bowl winner coached the Redskins, he drafted Cousins. Shanahan said years ago that Cousins would be a top-10 passer. A lot of people thought I was crazy, but I know what I saw, Shanahan told ESPN.com recently.When youve been around the great ones, there are certain things that jump out at you, and I could see it very quickly with Kirk. The awareness, the ability to make quick decisions, the arm strength -- making all the throws with very little leverage -- the quick release ... we saw it all in practice from Day 1.But its also the intangibles. Hes very competitive. He has the courage. Hell hang in the pocket, focus on the defense, and still be able to slide and feel and go through his reads. Then theres innate intelligence you have to have; Kirk is extremely bright. And one of the biggest things, and Ive seen this in all the great quarterbacks Ive been around, is that the buck stops with Kirk. He takes accountability. Hell put the blame all on himself. Hes already a top-10 quarterback and hell be in the top five. Hes going to be a perennial Pro Bowler.Well, Shanahan is all in on Cousins. Of course, the Redskins arent interested in Shanahans opinion. Among the teams current decision-makers, no one stood on the table for Cousins in the offseason, and thats why the sides never got close on a long-term deal. Talk to people in the organization, and several will tell you that Cousins only had nine good games. At the NFL scouting combine in February, Redskins officials were playing down Cousins accomplishments to their counterparts on other teams.Bottom line: The Redskins dont totally believe in Cousins. They also couldnt permit him to become an unrestricted free agent. Now, Cousins has to do it again. And again and again, Gruden said.Its about having two, three, four years, he said. Luckily for us, were in a position to look at him another year.Although Cousins is way too smart to negotiate in public or say anything that would potentially anger owner Daniel Snyder -- Im not lying awake at night. I got a pretty good raise, Cousins said -- he often has said he wants to be where hes wanted. The only reason Cousins is with the Redskins is because Shanahan and his son, Kyle, who spent four seasons as the teams offensive playcaller, pushed to draft him in the fourth round in 2012 after Snyder and team president Bruce Allen traded four high-round picks for the right to take quarterback Robert Griffin III second overall.Snyder doted on Griffin, who had a spectacular rookie season. But Griffin subsequently suffered a major knee injury, struggled in the pocket and became a divisive force within the organization. He is now trying to rebuild his career in Cleveland. Entering his fifth season, Cousins for the first time began training camp atop the depth chart and with a unified locker room following his lead. He even had a solid preseason game Thursday night; as ESPN Redskins reporter John Keim wrote, Cousins showed poise, good decision-making and going through his progressions at a solid pace.He doesnt have to worry about nobody on his heels, star wide receiver DeSean Jackson said. Were all behind him.The question is, for how long?If Cousins has another big year and the sides remain far apart in contract talks, the Redskins could use their franchise tag on him again. Cousins would receive a 20 percent raise over his current salary, taking him to $23.94 million in 2017. Cousins would get a 44 percent increase if the Redskins applied the tag a third time, putting his salary at more than $34.47 million in 2018.The more likely scenario is that if Cousins is tagged again and the sides fail to agree on an extension before 2018, Cousins would be traded. But theres a reason teams dont trade talented passers: There arent enough of them.It did surprise me that they didnt tie him up, and I expect him to play even better this season, Shanahan said. Look at Drew Brees. You think San Diego would have let him get away if they had to do it all over again? When you get guys like Kirk, you dont let them get away.In the NFL, theres nothing more important than getting it right at quarterback. Cousins isnt the quarterback Snyder wanted -- but hes the one the Redskins cant afford to lose. Carl Landry Jersey .Y. -- Paul Byron and Matt Stajan scored as the Calgary Flames started a five-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. Allen Iverson 76ers Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. http://www.nba76ersauthentic.com/jahlil-okafor-76ers-jersey/ . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. Swingman Maurice Cheeks Jersey . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. Moses Malone 76ers Jersey . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. The last thing the Philadelphia 76ers need less than a week before the season begins is more bad news on the injury front.Thats exactly what they got on Friday, when Nerlens Noel elected to have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and coach Brett Brown acknowledged that he may have been overly optimistic about the timeline for Ben Simmons highly anticipated debut.Noel has been experiencing soreness and, after consulting with several specialists, elected to have inflamed plica removed from his knee, the Sixers announced. There was no timetable for his return, but general recovery periods range from three to five weeks, meaning Noel will miss the season opener at home against Oklahoma City on Wednesday.As worrisome, Brown said before the Sixers played in Miami on Friday night that he jumped the gun on his initial estimate of a January return for Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick who had surgery on his right foot in early October.I was just getting excited about how soon he might be able to come back, Brown told reporters in Miami before the game. There are so much speculations and dates as a coach, you sort of want to hear what you want to hear at a time. I did mention a January hopeful return. That is premature.The Sixers also announced that point guard Jerryd Bayless, who signed a three-year, $27 million contract this summer, will not have surgery to address ligament issues in his left wrist that have kept him out of the entire preseason. His rehab will continue for another two weeks before he is evaluated again.---WIZARDS 119, RAPTORS 82WASHINGTON -- John Wall had 15 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds as the Washington cruised past Toronto.Wall hit 3 of 4 3-point attempts and Washington shot 58 percent for the game.DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points on 11-for-24 shooting for the Raptors.RAPTORS: Toronto shot 35 percent for the game and just 20 percent (4 for 20) from 3. ... DeRozan was the only player in double figures for the Raptors. ... Kyle Lowry scored eight points on 3-for-11 shooting.WIZARDS: Markieff Morris scored 19 points and hit all three of his 3-pointers. ... Bradley Beal scored 19 on 8-for-16 shooting. ... All five Washington starters scored at least 15 points. ... The Wizards out-rebounded Toronto 50-36.UP NEXT: Toronto (4-3) hosts Detroit in its season opener on Wednesday. Washington (4-3) visits Atlanta on Thursday.---TIMBERWOLVES 109, HORNETS 74MINNEAPOLIS -- Brandon Rush scored 14 points and hit all four of his 3-pointers to help the Timberwolves breeze past the Hornets.Karl-Anthony Towns had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Wolves despite playing just 15 minutes because of foul trouble.Marco Belinelli was the only Hornet in double figures with 10 points.HORNETS: Frank Kaminsky played just eight minutes before leaving with a sprained right foot. ... After playing at home on Thursday night, forwards Marvin Williams and Nicolas Batum did not make the trip to Minnesota. ... The Hornets shot 31.6 percent from the field, including 13 percent (3 for 22) from 3-point range.TIMBERWOLVES: Andrew Wiggins sat out a second straight game after suffering an allergic reaction earlier this week. He participated in warmups and watched from the bench, his face still noticeably swollen. ... Shabazz Muhammad had 17 points in 19 minutes after siitting out the previous game with a sore right hip.dddddddddddd... Ricky Rubio had 10 points, six assists and four rebounds and was the trigger man during a 31-12 third quarter that broke the game open.UP NEXT: Charlotte (3-4) opens the season at Milwaukee on Wednesday. Minnesota (5-2) visits Memphis on Wednesday.---76ERS 113, HEAT 110MIAMI -- Dario Saric scored 19 points, and Joel Embiid capped off a strong preseason with 18 points in 18 minutes for Philadelphia.Jerami Grant scored 17 for the 76ers, who trailed by as many as 10 points.Goran Dragic scored 17 points and handed out seven assists for Miami. Hassan Whiteside scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Dragic and Whiteside both shot 5 for 6 from the field.76ERS: Philadelphia got 13 points from Sergio Rodriguez. ... The 76ers turned 19 Miami turnovers into 26 points. ... Robert Covington left the game with a sprained right ankle.HEAT: Willie Reed scored 13 points. ... Miami had a chance to tie, but Luis Monteros 3-point attempt with 2 seconds left bounced off the rim. ... The Heat were only 31 of 49 from the free throw line.UP NEXT: Philadelphia (2-5) hosts Oklahoma City in its season opener on Wednesday. Miami (4-4) visits Orlando to open its season on Wednesday.---SPURS 114, ROCKETS 99SAN ANTONIO -- Bryn Forbes made a strong push to make the final roster, scoring 19 points and hitting 4 of 5 3-point attempts for the Spurs.Forbes is battling with four others for the only available roster spot. He made 7 of 11 shots in 28 minutes and scored 12 points in the fourth quarter.Bobby Brown had 23 points and nine assists in 32 minutes for Houston.ROCKETS: James Harden did not play. ... Nene had 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting in 19 minutes. ... Houston went 8 for 35 on 3-pointers.SPURS: Danny Green has been diagnosed with a left quad strain and is expected to be out approximately three weeks. ... Spotted in the crowd, according to the San Antonio Express-News: a black T-shirt emblazoned with Popovich, Duncan `16. Make America Great Again.UP NEXT: San Antonio (4-2) opens the regular season on Tuesday at Golden State. Houston (5-2) visits the Lakers on Wednesday.---NUGGETS 101, MAVERICKS 75DENVER -- Danilo Gallinari scored 16 points and didnt miss a shot in 16 minutes for the Nuggets.Gallinari was 4 for 4 from the field, including 2 for 2 on 3-pointers, and 6 for 6 at the free throw line.Dirk Nowitzki scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in 29 minutes.MAVERICKS: Wesley Matthews scored 10 points and was the only Maverick in double figures. ... Harrison Barnes scored eight points in 26 minutes and was a minus-29. ... Andrew Bogut had five fouls in the first half and was out early in the third quarter. ... Dallas shot 38 percent, including 24 percent from 3.NUGGETS: Nikola Jokic scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists. ... Wilson Chandler had 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting in 22 minutes. ... Jarnell Stokes played solid on both ends as he makes a push for the final roster spot. ... Denver shot 51 percent and had 26 assists.UP NEXT: Dallas (2-5) opens the season at Indiana on Wednesday. Denver (4-4) opens at New Orleans on Wednesday. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '