Washington has decided to place the exclusive franchise tag on quarterback Kirk Cousins for a second straight season.
The news, which comes directly from Cousins’ agent, is not a surprise. Cousins had no interest in negotiating a long-term contract with Washington before the franchise deadline, as being tagged actually gives him leverage in this situation.
If Cousins ends up playing the 2017 season under the franchise tag, he will be paid a guaranteed salary of $23.94 million — a 20 percent raise over his salary from last season. He reportedly wanted Washington to use the tag again, as that all but assures the team will not use it a third time in 2018, which would mean paying Cousins around $35 million for one season.
Since Washington decided to use the exclusive franchise tag, Cousins will not be allowed to negotiate with other teams. However, there is still a chance Washington could trade him during the offseason if the two sides cannot come to an agreement on a long-term deal.
There have been some rumblings that Cousins does not want to stay in Washington, and that will likely have an impact on whether or not the team decides to keep him. Either way, letting Cousins test free agency and potentially leave without compensation would not have been a good option.
