Redskins not expected to sign Kirk Cousins before deadline

Jan 10, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) walks off the field in front of Green Bay Packers guard Josh Sitton (71) after their NFC Wild Card playoff football game at FedEx Field. The Packers won 35-18. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 10, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) walks off the field in front of Green Bay Packers guard Josh Sitton (71) after their NFC Wild Card playoff football game at FedEx Field. The Packers won 35-18. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Washington Redskins are not expected to be able to lock up quarterback of the future Kirk Cousins before the deadline.

Mere months after former Redskins quarterback RGIII left Washington to head to the Cleveland Browns, the Redskins are struggling to nail down the quarterback they went all-in on: Kirk Cousins. ESPN Insider Adam Schefter mentioned that he couldn’t see a deal between the Washington Redskins and Kirk Cousins getting done anytime soon in an interview with ESPN 980 Washington.

"“I think there would be teams willing to pay him if he were on the open market today more than Washington feels like it needs to pay him, If he were to hit the free agent market this offseason, I think a team like the Cleveland Browns would’ve given him $20 million a year, maybe more.”"

Cousins will likely play out the 2016 season under the franchise tag, but after that, there’s no telling what will happen to the former Michigan State star. Cousins reportedly views the 44 million that he would be paid under the franchise tag as the starting point for the negotiations, but Washington’s top brass wants to see him put together another good season before talking about paying him that kind of money.

Kirk Cousins had a solid, not spectacular 2015. He completed 69.8% of his passes, throwing for 29 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. I think the Redskins aren’t comfortable paying him franchise tag money until he proves he can perform at a high level consistently.

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