Kirk Cousins is heading into the offseason without a contract for the third straight year, something that could have been avoided if former Redskins General Manager Scot McCloughan had gotten his way in 2015.
Cousins fielded questions from Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier of 106.7 The Fan in Northern Virginia on Friday and the quarterback said that McCloughan approached him and his agent Mike McCartney about signing a long-term deal with four games left in the 2015 season.
The deal was left unsigned after McCartney advised Cousins to “put the risk on yourself.” The team wound up winning their final four games and the NFC East, which led to the first of two franchise tags for Cousins in the offseason.
The team could use the tag a third time, something Cousins said he hasn’t thought about yet although he did say he’d look for other offers if the Redskins use the transition tag. That doesn’t mean he wants to leave Washington, however.
“That has been the question, right?” Cousins said, via the Washington Post. “That’s what we talked about last summer in July. The short answer is yes. I just feel that it’s been a very positive six years. Obviously, we don’t have Super Bowl rings to show for it, we don’t have playoff wins, but it’s a privilege to play here. I’ve felt that for all six seasons. I’d be foolish to say I don’t want to be here. It is truly a dream come true and a privilege to be here. Now obviously, it’s not that simple or that easy, and we have time to figure all that out, and work through all the circumstances that have to take place to feel really good about that, but I do feel the short answer is yes and let’s work through it.”
Cousins said he doesn’t expect to negotiate a long-term deal before the deadline for the Redskins to use the franchise tag, saying he sees “us waiting and being patient” before going that route. The right offer could change that, but there’s still much up in the air about Cousins’ future.
