WASHINGTON — It appears Kirk Cousins will not cash in, like he wanted to, after leading the Washington Redskins to the NFL playoffs. ESPN reported Tuesday the team and the quarterback have ended contract negotiations.
While Cousins would remain the team’s quarterback should the Redskins place a franchise tag on him, ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter said that may not happen either.
The Redskins have expressed a desire to sign Cousins to a long-term deal, but they’ve also made it clear privately that they would only do so at the right price. If they placed the franchise tag on Cousins, it would cost them approximately $20 million for a one-year contract, based on current projections.
If Cousins hit the open market, he would do so as one of the more attractive options to teams needing a quarterback.
The Washington Redskins have until March 1 to put the franchise tag on Cousins.
“There is no realistic scenario I can envision where he isn’t playing for the Redskins this season,” Tom Garrett, lead editor of Washington Redskins fan site Hogs Haven, said. “Whether they lock him up long term is another question. It’s a gamble either way. If they don’t sign him, it’s because they don’t believe he’ll be able to duplicate his 2015 numbers on a regular basis, because the Cousins camp is asking for a deal that presumes that 29-touchdown seasons will be the norm.”
