Kirk Cousins has less than a month remaining to come to an agreement with Washington on a long-term extension, and at least one reporter believes a deal is going to be completed.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports believes there is an “80 percent chance” Cousins will sign a long-term extension with Washington before July 17. If the team can’t come to terms with the quarterback, Cousins will play under the franchise tag for a second straight season and make around $24 million.
La Canfora thinks Washington will make sure Cousins gets his long-term deal.
This is the time to make something happen and (Washington President Bruce) Allen knows that and he is motivated to make the quarterback a known and fixed cost for the owner. Letting Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson walk was a nod to that, and the Redskins believe Cousins can help further develop young receivers. He’s become a leader and a fixture at a position of perpetual angst for Snyder, and this team knows what it’s like not to have a function, winning passer.
And they can’t go back to the abyss. For as much as Cousins can reasonably talk about $25M a year, he and his representatives are smart, savvy people, and if it ends up being $23M a year and four seasons are in essence guaranteed by the salary structure, that’s a major win for the former fourth round pick. I don’t see this falling apart. There’s just too much at stake for both sides.
Washington wanted Cousins to prove himself by playing under the tag in 2016, and he did just that. The former Michigan State start looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the league for a stretch and finished with nearly 5,000 yards passing and a QB rating of 97.2, which was seventh-best in the NFL.
While reports like this make it seem like Cousins is destined for free agency, his quickest path to a massive payday is right under his nose.
