The Washington Redskins and free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins were unable to come to terms on a long-term agreement before free agency, so general manager Scot McCloughan decided to use the franchise tag on the 2012 fourth-rounder.
While the two sides can continue to negotiate until the July 15 deadline, the one-year deal worth $19.95 million seems to be agreeable for both sides.
Cousins receives roughly a 3,000 percent increase on his 2015 salary ($660,000) while Washington receives another year to evaluate Cousins. It's a win-win. Again, both sides will keep talking until the deadline, but neither is worried about the outcome. Cousins, ever cool, calm and collected, seems happy for the time being.
"I'm very content in the situation I'm in, and love the opportunity to prove myself again next season," he said. "I feel like it's only fair, if that's what's asked of me, to go out and prove that I ought to be a starting quarterback. And that's okay with me."
President Bruce Allen made it known last week that the two sides will reconvene once free agency has died down a bit. He knows all too well that "you can't win in this league unless your quarterback plays well." Cousins definitely played well after a rocky start last season. In his first six games, the fourth-year vet had already thrown eight interceptions. However, he threw 19 touchdowns against just two picks over the final eight games and ended up leading the NFL in completion rate at 69 percent.
Despite the hot streak, Cousins has never put any undue pressure on his financial standing with the Redskins.
"You know, I never played football thinking about money," Cousins said earlier this week. "And going forward, I never want to play football thinking about money, and that's why I think it's important for me to play with a salary that's just locked in.
"You know, I don't want to be thinking about individual accomplishments or awards that would boost my salary or up my numbers," he continued. "I just want to go out and play football and try to win games. So I think discussions are always ongoing, and they're never really finished. It's a process, and I think much like preparing for a football game is a process, negotiations often work that way. But I'm not too worried about it."
