NFL franchise tag 2018: 10 players most likely to be tagged

9. Kirk Cousins

Yes, the Redskins just traded for Alex Smith and sent promising young corner Kendall Fuller in return. So why would tagging Kirk Cousins for a third time make any sense? Well, first off, it’s the Redskins. Secondly, they are interested in a tag-and-trade scenario in which they are able to recover some of the value they expended to bring Smith to town. The logic is there, but there are a couple big hoops to jump through before this becomes reality.

The Redskins tagged Cousins the last two seasons, and in the 2017 season, Cousins made nearly $24 million on the tag. However, that number would jump to an absurd $34.5 million if he is tagged for a third time. That is where the situation gets sticky.

Because Cousins has to sign the agreement to be tagged, he has a little more leverage in this situation. It is obvious that he is no longer going to be the starting quarterback in Washington, so he will want some say in where he goes next. If the team wants to trade him, rather than let him walk in free agency, they will need to come to some sort of agreement with Cousins on where they send him, otherwise he won’t sign the deal.

This situation could go either way, but given the history, it is entirely possible that the Redskins tag Cousins with the hopes of flipping him for draft picks. Cousins deserved better after helping turn the Redskins into contenders in the last couple of seasons. At only 29, he has plenty of years left in his arm and several teams will have their eyes on him.