Redskins 'sold' on Cousins as long-term QB
12/21/2015 11:21:18 AM
The Washington Redskins are sold on Kirk Cousins as their starting quarterback beyond this season, and because of that, team officials are determined to avoid letting the fourth-year veteran depart via free agency this offseason, Mike Jones of the Washington Post reports.
The Redskins remain undecided when it comes to Cousins’s value, and contract talks between the team and the quarterback’s representatives have not yet reached advanced stages, two people with knowledge of the situation said. However, the team’s decision-makers find themselves in agreement over Cousins: He’s their starter long term, and not merely a bridge quarterback.
Because of that conviction, the Redskins will either sign the former fourth-round pick – who is in the midst of a team-record-setting season – to a multi-year deal, or they will use the franchise tag to retain his services, and then continue to negotiate toward a contract that satisfies both sides. The franchise tag for a quarterback this offseason could translate to a value of around $18 million to $19 million.
Either way, Cousins – playing this season on a base salary of $660,000 – is due to receive a dramatic pay increase this offseason.
The remaining two games of the season, and postseason play – as well as the free-agent market – will help the Redskins determine what kind of a payday to give Cousins. That is the remaining question in the minds of Washington officials, people familiar with the deliberations said.
Is Cousins worthy of a three- or four-year deal that would pay him in the $12 million to $16 million range, like quarterbacks Nick Foles, Sam Bradford, Andy Dalton and Carson Palmer? Or is he worthy of the $17 million-to-$19 million range, like Alex Smith, Matthew Stafford, Jay Cutler and Ryan Tannehill?
Despite mutual interest in maintaining their marriage, neither the Redskins nor Cousins’s camp appear to be in a hurry to finalize a deal before the end of the season. The Redskins have the window from January until the start of free agency, in mid-March, to hammer out a deal without fear of another team swooping in and luring Cousins away.
And, according to a person familiar with the thinking of Cousins’s representatives, they have maintained all season that the more he plays, the further he will drive up his value. He appears to be doing just that.