The shocking trade of quarterback Alex Smith to the Redskins could have major repercussions on the Patriots because of what it means for the man he's replacing -- Kirk Cousins.
The Pro Bowl quarterback is an unrestricted free agent and will be the most prized name on the market. Cousins' primary suitors are all AFC teams and two of them reside within the East, a division the Patriots have dominated for nearly two decades in large part because none of their rivals has had a quarterback worth fearing.
Since Tom Brady became quarterback in 2001, he has made 13 Pro Bowls. The rest of the division has combined for three -- Drew Bledsoe (Buffalo, 2002), Brett Favre (New York, 2008), and Tyrod Taylor (!?!) (Buffalo, 2015).
No quarterback equals no chance, and years of Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Chad Henne have meant the Patriots could hang a division banner in August. Their place atop football's most lopsided division has rarely been challenged.
Cousins would change that. He has thrown at least 25 touchdowns in each of the last three seasons. He made a Pro Bowl in 2016, led the NFL in completion percentage in 2015, and threw for 329 yards without an interception in his lone playoff start.
Imagine the Bills, with a stout defense and offensive weapons like LeSean McCoy and Kelvin Benjamin, suddenly fielding Cousins at QB instead of the maddeningly mediocre Taylor, who was briefly benched for a guy who ended up throwing five interceptions in one half.
Imagine the Jets, who early on lost four games in five weeks by a touchdown or less, putting Cousins under center instead of 38-year-old has-been Josh McCown. That 24-17 loss to the Patriots in October -- the Austin Seferian-Jenkins game -- might have ended differently. And it's easy to forget now, but the 3-2 squads played that day with first place on the line.
Cousins needn't land in the division to cause trouble for the Pats, though. The Broncos still boast a ball-hawking defense and tremendous home-field advantage. Neither factor mattered this season because Trevor Siemian and Brock Osweiler reeked like garbage. Broncos quarterbacks failed to complete 60 percent of their passes and Denver was one of three teams to throw more interceptions than touchdowns. The Broncos never had a chance.
Is Cousins an elite QB? No. But the 29-year-old is a borderline Pro Bowler who'd instantly upgrade any number of teams the Patriots haven't had to care about. Jimmy Garoppolo proved in San Francisco exactly what kind of a difference a quarterback can make.
If Cousins ends up in the AFC, he'll represent one more challenge to New England's supremacy.