Kirk Cousins‘ time with the Washington Redskins is about to end after they chose not to use the franchise tag on the quarterback as expected.

The Redskins have agreed to acquire Alex Smith from the Kansas City Chiefs Devin Singletary Jersey , effectively pushing Cousins into free agency following a tumultuous six years with the club the drafted him. Cousins will be the top free agent available when the league year opens in mid-March and should have no shortage of suitors.

”Next week is now officially the first time since 2007 that I’ll be choosing where to play football,” Cousins posted on Twitter. ”I’m open to suggestions.”

The 29-year-old Cousins is coming off his third consecutive 4,000-yard passing season. In his time as a full-time NFL starter, he has completed 67 percent of his passes for 81 touchdowns, 36 interceptions and a 97.5 QB rating.

Despite previously saying Washington could win with Cousins, coach Jay Gruden said at the scouting combine that ”it’s time for us to move on” and find some continuity at the position.

The Redskins now seemingly have that in Smith, who will join the Redskins once the trade becomes official March 14 and has agreed to a four-year extension with $71 million guaranteed.

Cousins could easily command more than that on the open market with the New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns among the teams interested in upgrading at quarterback.

After becoming the first QB in NFL history to play two consecutive seasons on the franchise tag – making almost $44 million in the process – Cousins is looking for long-term stability in the wake of almost-weekly questions about his future in Washington persisted over the past few years. Agent Mike McCartney declined to comment on the plans of the Cousins camp in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday.

This is perhaps the first time in Cousins’ football career that he has been No. 1 on any list. He did not have any scholarship offers as a high school senior, was not considered a top prospect after four years at Michigan State and got picked in the fourth round in 2012 by the Redskins – the same draft they traded up to make Robert Griffin III the No. 2 pick.

Only 39-year-old Drew Brees, who’s expected to re-sign with the New Orleans Saints Kyler Murray Jersey , threw for more yards last season than Cousins, who is the best option available in a crop that includes Case Keenum, Sam Bradford and Josh McCown. Though during the 2017 season it was reported that Cousins could set a record for QB contracts, it’s unclear how close he might come to the $135 million, five-year deal with $92 million guaranteed that Matthew Stafford signed with the Detroit Lions.

NOTE: The Redskins re-signed safety Deshazor Everett to a multiyear deal and waived running backs Dare Ogunbowale and Kenny Hilliard and tackle Kevin Bowen.

—

The head of one of the nation’s largest fish conservation groups says Fiat Chrysler’s Super Bowl ads ”glorified” the destruction of aquatic habitat in an apparent attempt to appeal to off-road thrill-seekers.

It’s the second time ads by the automaker have drawn complaints since the Feb. 4 game.

Trout Unlimited President and CEO Chris Wood said Wednesday that one ad gave the impression a Jeep Cherokee was splashing down the middle of a wild streambed.

Article continues below ...
Fiat Chrysler is defending the ads but says there are no plans to run them again. It says the spot with the Cherokee was shot on a flooded county road and another with a Jeep Wrangler was filmed in a man-made lake with a man-made waterfall on private land.

Wood said many of his group’s 300,000 members and supporters own Jeeps, but the images were upsetting.

”Fish are tough and resilient critters, but they don’t do well with several-thousand-pound vehicles driving over their spawning grounds, tearing up the gravel where they lay eggs,” he said. ”Why someone would want to put out the idea that you should buy a Jeep so you could drive it up a creek is incomprehensible to me.”

The Reno Gazette-Journal first reported the ad flap last week. Pam Harrington, Trout Unlimited’s Nevada field coordinator, told the newspaper she was upset because she’s worked with ATV clubs in Idaho repairing damage caused by irresponsible drivers.

Stream habitat improvements are part of the decadeslong efforts to protect endangered salmon in the Pacific Northwest http://www.billscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-dawson-knox-jersey , where research shows riverbank disturbances and sedimentation chokes off fish eggs.

Wood said he didn’t learn until this week that much of his membership was upset over the Jeep ads. He said he had already written a personal letter of complaint Feb. 6 to Fiat Chrysler CEO and Chairman Sergio Marchionne after Wood’s son noticed the ad during the game.

The automaker also came under fire last week for another Super Bowl ad featuring a Ram pickup set against audio of ”The Drum Major Instinct” sermon delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. 50 years ago.

The 60-second spot included images of the truck with people helping others and hugging loved ones. Critics said it omitted King’s words in the same speech guarding against advertisers exploiting consumers, including when the civil rights icon said, ”In order to make your neighbors envious you must drive this type of car. … And you know, before you know it, you’re just buying that stuff. That’s the way advertisers do it.”

A company spokeswoman said that ad ”was selling the message of serving in your community.”

Wood, who worked as chief spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service under the Clinton administration before joining Trout Unlimited in 2001, said Fiat Chrysler apparently ”got some bad marketing advice” on the Jeep campaign.

He said there are plans to connect with a Jeep branch representative for a ”broader conversation.”

”Hopefully something good will come of this, and we can begin a dialogue with Jeep to promote smart use of off-road vehicles as well as conservation of natural resources,” Wood said.