NFL Rumors: Kirk Cousins may want out of Washington
A return to the Washington Redskins for this year looks like a foregone conclusion, but Kirk Cousins may already be ready to move on.
Coming off a breakout season in 2015 (4,166 yards, 29 touchdown), Kirk Cousins was franchise tagged by the Washington Redskins. After making $19.9 million in 2016, talks with the Redskins about a long-term deal have reportedly made little progress at this early stage. So the franchise tag may be the best option for Washington again, now that the window to do it is open, even with a projected value of $23.94 million for 2017.
The non-exclusive version of the franchise tag could be an option for the Redskins, with two first-round picks as compensation if they want to let Cousins go, and an appropriately called “tag and trade” could also be on the table. The latter option carries a measure of risk for Washington, at least without some back channel agreement from a team that will trade for Cousins.
Without a long-term deal to keep Cousins in a Redskins uniform, questions about where he’ll be beyond the 2017 season will linger. But as it turns out, Cousins may not even want to stick with the Redskins beyond that point and the franchise tag would facilitate that.
For the past couple of years, former Redskins officials who know Cousins have said he really doesn't want to be in Ashburn. He wants tag.
— Jason Reid (@JReidESPN) February 16, 2017
It’s unclear what the term “former Redskins officials” means, and it’s predictably vague to protect the innocent. But two of the team’s former offensive coordinators with ties to Cousins recently got head coaching jobs, with Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay landing with the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams respectively. In the case of Shanahan and the 49ers, rumors have already tied them to Cousins.
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Getting $44 million fully guaranteed for two seasons, and then hitting the free agent market at 29 years old a year from now, puts Cousins in an enviable position. It also gives him great leverage in long-term contract talks with the Redskins, at a price point they may not want to be in to keep a fairly average quarterback. If Cousins really wants out of Washington, after one more season or even sooner than that, the Redskins can accommodate him.