There wasn’t any expectation that quarterback Kirk Cousins was going to sign a long-term deal before Friday’s deadline for players with franchise tags to do so and the deadline has indeed passed without a new deal.
The Redskins made a formal announcement just after the 4 p.m. ET deadline that Cousins will play out the year under the terms of the tag. That means he’ll make a bit more than $19.9 million during the 2016 season and be on track to become a free agent again next year. He’ll be the first quarterback to play out a season on the franchise tag since Drew Brees did so for the Chargers in 2005.
Brees left the Chargers for the Saints the next year in a move that worked out well for him. Should Cousins turn in another year like he had in 2015, there will be teams trying to make the same kind of move that the Saints made, although the Redskins could use another franchise tag to hold onto him should attempts to sign a longer deal come up short again.
That tag would cost them nearly $24 million and would also set a higer benchmark for the start of discussions on a longer deal, although Redskins General Manager Scot McCloughan made it clear earlier this offseason that the team is fine with that if Cousins performs well on the field.