The Washington Redskins find themselves in a tricky situation as the offseason approaches. Quarterback Kirk Cousins led the team to the playoffs in his first full season as starter but will be hitting unrestricted free agency on March 9. The Skins would like to re-sign him, but they also want to spend their money wisely.
Cousins led the NFL in completion percentage at 69.8 percent and set a Redskins franchise record with 4,166 passing yards. Yet he threw eight interceptions over the first six games and likely won't be rushing for five additional scores in the future. Ideally, the Redskins would love to evaluate him for one more season before committing big bucks in a long-term deal. Unfortunately, the franchise tag for QBs is expected to settle around $20 million for the 2016 season and Washington isn't flush with cap space. Given the difficult position this puts them in, ESPN Redskins reporter John Keim believes he'll be locked up to a big deal.
"The Redskins will work out a multi-year deal with quarterback Kirk Cousins, saving them from using the franchise tag," Keim wrote. "Both sides want a long-term contract, and even though they're not close to anything now, by free agency they will have it worked out. The best guess for how much it'll be worth per year: around $18 million-$20 million."
A salary in that range would make Cousins one of the thirteen highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, right around Tony Romo territory. That's a lot of money to commit to a guy with just one full season as a starter under his belt. There's no denying that Cousins made impressive strides in 2015, especially as the year went on and his receivers got healthier. But are the Redskins certain he's a true blue franchise guy worth that type of commitment?
Unfortunately, they don't have much of a choice. The scarcity of quality options under center almost guarantees an expensive long-term deal for Cousins sometime this offseason.
