Kirk Cousins has until July 15 to work out a long-term contract extension with Washington, otherwise he will be playing his second consecutive season under the franchise tag. Even if that deadline seems like it is fast approaching, Cousins is not getting anxious.
On Wednesday, Cousins hinted that any long-term extension probably would not be agreed upon long before July 15.
“As one person has told me, deadlines do deals,” he said, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “That’s just kind of a rule in negotiating, so why would something happen way before a deadline? It just doesn’t make sense. I’m not in a hurry, they’re not in a hurry, so we’ll just see how things go. I’m being patient.”
Cousins was franchise tagged last offseason and he discussed a long-term deal with Washington then, but the two sides never came close to an agreement. While everyone is acting like there’s mutual interest, there is plenty of reason for skepticism.
“I have had really positive conversations with everybody involved throughout the process this offseason,” Cousins added. “I feel like everybody is on the same page and I really have nothing further to add to what has already been said. So I feel good about where I am at, where this team is at, where my teammates are at. And so it is just a matter of trying to move forward and we will see what happens come July 15. It will be a telling date as it was last summer.”
If no long-term deal is reached, Cousins will make nearly $24 million in 2017 before becoming an unrestricted free agent again — assuming Washington doesn’t tag him for a third straight year at an astronomical salary.
It seems unlikely that Cousins will agree to an extension, especially when you read reports like this. Both he and the team are saying all the right things publicly, but all signs to this point have indicated a divorce is on the horizon.
