Kirk Cousins has just days remaining to work out a long-term extension with Washington, and there is a growing sense that the quarterback may prefer to play out his second consecutive season under the franchise tag.
If Cousins plays under the franchise tag again, Washington can, in theory, use the tag on him again next offseason. However, they would have to pay him $34 million for one season if he played under it. Another option would be the transition tag, which would give Washington a chance to match any offer another team extended to Cousins.
Jason Cole of Bleacher Report spoke with two NFL general managers who believe the transition tag will not allow Washington to keep Cousins, as at least one other team is prepared to make the QB a “huge” offer if he’s available next offseason.
2 GMs believe some team will use HUGE roster bonus on Kirk Cousins in '18 to make it hard for #Redskins to match on trans tag if no deal
— Jason Cole (@JasonColeBR) July 14, 2017
In a couple of tweets that followed, Cole hinted that he believes the San Francisco 49ers are the team the GMs were referring to.
Kyle Shanahan, who was once the offensive coordinator in Washington, is now the head coach in San Francisco. There has been plenty of speculation that Cousins wants to reunite with him, and the latest report we heard about contract talks between Cousins and Washington indicated the 49ers could have a shot at signing the 28-year-old. If the July 17 deadline comes and goes without Cousins having a long-term deal in place, the Niners will immediately become the favorite to land him next offseason.
