The Washington Redskins and quarterback Kirk Cousins have been unable to come to terms on a long-term deal so far this offseason, leading the team to use its franchise tag on the free agent signal-caller. This isn't that uncommon, as Cousins had just one year of starting experience under his belt and it still a bit of an unknown as he enters his fifth season. But it does mean that Washington will have to fork over a hefty $19.95 million to Cousins for the 2016 season alone.
The Redskins have confidence in Cousins and there's no denying the strides the QB took over the final ten games of this season, when he threw 20 touchdowns against just three interceptions. Overall, Cousins led the NFL in completion percentage at 69.8 while throwing for 4,166 yards with 29 touchdowns and 11 picks. That's why the franchise tag, and not the transition tag, was a no brainer for now.
"We thought the best thing to do was the franchise tag," team president Bruce Allen said Friday morning. "It made it clear where we stood with him. We had told his agent that's what we were going to do."
The Redskins, who have invested three first-round picks into the quarterback position in this century with little to show for it, know how rare a capable passer is. That's why both sides are expected to resume negotiations once the free agent signing period has died down, according to Allen.
"As soon as free agency dies down a little bit, I'm sure his agent will engage us again in talks," Allen said.
Allen, general manager Scot McCloughan and owner Dan Snyder will likely touch base with Cousins' agent Mike McCartney sometime in the coming weeks. Today is just the third day since free agency opened so a lot of player movement is still expected to come.
Washington has until July 15th to sign Cousins to a long-term extension. If you'll remember last year, both Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas went down to the wire before their franchise tags were replaced by multi-year deals.
However, signing Cousins won't come cheap as Brock Osweiler's lucrative deal with the Houston Texans yesterday proves. The going rate for quarterbacks has gone up, up, up over recent years.
"I don't know if it is getting silly," Allen said when asked about the money quarterbacks are getting these days. "The good quarterbacks deserve the money. I'm sure there are some performers in the league who are watching [free agency] and thinking they might be entitled to a raise or two. But you can't win in this league unless your quarterback plays well."
