Don’t ask Jay Gruden about contract talks between the Redskins and Kirk Cousins. He doesn’t know whether negotiations have taken on “an improved, encouraging tone” as Adam Schefter of ESPN reported.
“I was just alerted of the report. I don’t have a reaction,” Gruden said via Mike Jones and Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post. “I’m not in the negotiations, unfortunately. But, no, I’ll let everybody handle that. I think Bruce [Allen] and Eric Schaffer will do a fine job. Obviously, Kirk’s agent will do his work. Hopefully something gets done.”
The Redskins face a July 15 deadline to reach a long-term deal with Cousins or he will play under the franchise tag for a second season. He currently is scheduled to receive $23.9 million in 2017.
Schefter reported that Allen and Mike McCartney, the agent for Cousins, met for the first time in two years at the league meetings last month and since have had a second meeting.