Kirk Cousins signs franchise tag

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/03/10/kirk-cousins-signs-franchise-tag/

Kirk Cousins signs franchise tag
Posted by Michael David Smith on March 10, 2017

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Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins has signed his one-year franchise tag, which gives him a $23.9 million guaranteed salary for the 2017 season.

Cousins’ agent announced the signing this morning. It had been expected that Cousins would sign the tag, just as he did last year.

The signing gives Cousins by far the highest base salary in the NFL this season, and it’s guaranteed and can’t be rescinded by the team. It also means Washington is free to trade Cousins to any other team, although as a practical matter Cousins could veto any trade because any team trading for Cousins would surely insist on working out a long-term contract extension with him first.

Now that Cousins has signed the franchise tag two years in a row, it’s virtually impossible for him to be franchised again: A third franchise tag next year would guarantee him a whopping $34.5 million salary for 2018. Washington could apply the transition tag on Cousins next year, but that would allow him to freely negotiate with all 31 other teams, and Washington wouldn’t be entitled to any compensation if he leaves.

So Cousins looks likely to pocket $44 million for 2016 and 2017, then hit true, unrestricted free agency in 2018. He’s already made a fortune, and if he has a big season, he’s set to make even more in a year.

 

[Snaz]

I smell Trade

 

[Merlin]

If they do trade him they need to demand enormous compensation. And even then they don't have any real options at QB out there this offseason. Skins are in a tough spot man, they'd have to hit on another guy in the draft when the position is full of options with question marks and pray McCoy is good enough to get them through the season.

Best option is just to pay the dude. As long as you have him and Gruden together you're gonna have a good offense.

 

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ns-wont-sign-long-term-deal-from-bruce-allen/

Report: Kirk Cousins won’t sign long-term deal from Bruce Allen
Posted by Darin Gantt on March 10, 2017

With dysfunction in Washington becoming the norm, it’s impossible to predict the next twist and turn in the plot. The football team is a mess too.

But even by their own standards, this one’s a doozy.

According to Chick Hernandez of CSNMidAtlantic.com, franchised quarterback Kirk Cousins will not negotiate a long-term deal with the team as long as Bruce Allen is the team president.

Now, it’s reasonable to believe that Cousins is sufficiently grumpy about being tagged two years in a row, and might not be thrilled with the direction of the franchise at the moment — provided there is one.

But the notion that he’d turn down an Andrew Luck-level contract if Allen was the one delivering it to him seems farfetched as well.

What’s becoming clear is that a potentially awkward situation is getting moreso every day.

 

[CGI_Ram]

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/r...ith-lowball-extension-offer-for-kirk-cousins/

Redskins reportedly continue to stick with lowball extension offer for Kirk Cousins

A really smart lawyer once said that “all contracts are negotiable,” and he wasn’t wrong. But the Washington Redskins have a limited amount of negotiation to do when it comes to Kirk Cousins and, yet, they don’t seem to really grasp it.

That’s because, according to a report from both Mike Jones and Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post, the Redskins haven’t extended a new offer to Cousins recently, sticking with the same contract they offered him back in February before they applied the franchise tag .

This comes on the heels of The MMQB’s Albert Breer reporting that the Redskins had offered Cousins a five-year extension on top of the current franchise tag he’s set to play under. So in totality it would be a six-year deal, with average annual salary and amount guaranteed not yet known.

In fact, Redskins president Bruce Allen told Breer that the team sees Cousins as a franchise quarterback and has “offered him a contract” commensurate with that designation.

“Well, since we’ve offered him a contract around that length, I’d say yes we do,” Allen said. “He has gotten better the last three years, and we see him getting better in the future, and that’s why we do want to sign him long-term. We like his role as our quarterback and our leader, we just have to work that out.

“We talked last year, we didn’t get it done long-term. We have him signed for this year, and an option for next year. But our goal is to get a long-term deal.”

The “option” for 2018 is not a great one, because it would ultimately be a one-year, roughly $34.5 million fully guaranteed contract, a 44 percent raise from his 2017 franchise tag. Even if the Redskins used the transition tag in 2018, they would still have handed Cousins more than $70 million in guaranteed money over three years with no long-term opportunity to keep him.

And that’s the problem with the negotiations that are going on. The Redskins have to offer Cousins a deal that, at bare minimum, features $53 million in guaranteed money, because that’s how much Cousins will make from them over the next two years if he refuses to sign a contract and just plays out the string.

Put another way: Kirk Cousins has all of the leverage here and the Redskins have none of it.

This has been obvious for months, if not longer -- our own Joel Corry detailed back in December exactly why Cousins was set to become the highest-paid player in the NFL . CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported another tag was coming in November.

Think about this: Eli Manning had $54 million in his new contract guaranteed at signing. Andrew Luck and Joe Flacco are next up at $44 million. Cousins has almost equaled Eli’s guarantee without an actual contract.

If he signs a long-term deal in Washington -- and there are reports that he’s hesitant to do so -- he is absolutely going to maximize the amount of guaranteed money that the Redskins give him. They can’t even think about offering a deal that features anything less than $60 million guaranteed, and the number might need to be higher.

Why would Cousins take two years’ worth of guaranteed money, which he’s already getting regardless, and tack on a couple of free years for the Redskins just because they asked for them? He won’t.

The two sides appear to be remarkably far apart, and the Redskins don’t appear to understand where they sit in these negotiations.

 

[LesBaker]

I love seeing Snyder have problems, he deserves them all and more.

 

[dieterbrock]

Just trade him to San Francisco and get what you can get.
I don't know which situation is dumber at this point, Washington hanging on to him or Dallas hanging on to Romo

 

[Ram65]

I don't see the point in franchising any player without getting a long term deal right away. The Rams are screwed with TruJo's franchise contract as well. Just over 30 Million in two years with no long term deal. The Skins should have ponied up last year and given Cousins a long term deal. We know what the Rams should have done.

 

[DaveFan'51]

If they do trade him they need to demand enormous compensation. And even then they don't have any real options at QB out there this offseason. Skins are in a tough spot man, they'd have to hit on another guy in the draft when the position is full of options with question marks and pray McCoy is good enough to get them through the season.

Best option is just to pay the dude. As long as you have him and Gruden together you're gonna have a good offense.

Your spot on Merlin! But that Washington Owner is a Dumb-A$$ and will probably blow-it!!:snicker::shades:

 

[CGI_Ram]

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/b...sins-53-million-but-he-prefers-franchise-tag/

Bruce Allen: Redskins offered Kirk Cousins $53 million, but he prefers franchise tag

Kirk Cousins will be the Redskins' starting quarterback in 2017, but he may not have a long-term future in Washington. At 4 p.m. ET on Monday, the franchise deadline came and passed, which means Cousins will once again play under what is essentially a one-year contract.

By the sound of it, Cousins is completely OK with the limited security the franchise tag offers. But the Redskins don't sound happy about it.

Minutes after the deadline passed, team president Bruce Allen released a statement that revealed the contract the Redskins offered Cousins. According to Allen, they offered Cousins $53 million guaranteed, but Cousins preferred to play under the franchise tag.

Here's their entire statement, which reeks of desperation:

Our goal was to sign Kirk to a long-term contract with the final objective of having him finish his career with the Redskins.

On May 2nd, right after the draft, we made Kirk an offer that included the highest fully guaranteed amount upon signing for a quarterback in NFL history ($53 million) and guaranteed a total of $72 million for injury. The deal would have made him at least the second highest-paid player by average per year in NFL history.

But despite our repeated attempts, we have not received any offer from Kirk's agent this year.

Kirk has made it clear that he prefers to play on a year-to-year basis. While we would have liked to work out a long-term contract before this season, we accept his decision.

Under the franchise tag, Cousins will make $23.9 million this year. Last year, he made $19.9 million under the tag. So in all, Cousins will have made nearly $44 million in two years by accepting the relative lack of long-term stability that comes along with the franchise tag. Translation: His move to bet on himself has worked out pretty well, even if he still hasn't inked a long-term deal.

There are a couple of different ways to look at the upcoming season. The first way is that Cousins is set up to earn a huge, long-term deal following the season. Assuming Cousins can maintain his level of play from the past two seasons -- he's completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 9,083 yards, 54 touchdowns, 23 interceptions and a 99.3 passer rating since 2015 -- or even improve, someone might hand him an Andrew Luck type of contract. That's the deal Cousins is seeking. Maybe it'll be the 49ers, who are coached by ex-Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Maybe it'll be the Redskins. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Cousins is still open to signing a contract with the team after the season.

The second way of looking at this year is that Cousins will struggle now that DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon are gone. But even if that happens, Cousins will still make his money. Heck, Mike Glennon just got $18.5 guaranteed this offseason. Someone will pay Cousins in a quarterback-needy league.

No matter which way you look at it, Cousins comes out on top. And the Redskins, once again, certainly don't look like the best-run franchise in football.

You like that?

 

[-X-]

And the Redskins, once again, certainly don't look like the best-run franchise in football.

You like that?

Quite so, yes.

 

[Legatron4]

If Goff doesn't pan out we can give Cousins 3 years $17 million per year next season haha

 

[Loyal]

If Goff doesn't pan out we can give Cousins 3 years $17 million per year next season haha

I don't know...I'm not really sold on Cousins, despite last year. I'd rather roll with Manion...and I'd rather roll with Goff before either of them.

 

[kurtfaulk]

Where did you get that? All the article mentioned was $53m guaranteed and $72m guaranteed for injury. No mention of years were made.

.

 

[DaveFan'51]

Cousins and his agent probably have their Eyes on L.A. for the 2018 Season!
I hope they are disappointed! They are obviously in it for the MONEY, and not because they are Team Players or for the Love of Playing Football!

 

[Mojo Ram]

I'm thinking there are about a dozen teams keeping a close eye on this Cousins thing, and the 2018 season. Rams included.

 

[Selassie I]

RG-me really gave the foreskins a life threating case of rectal-cranial-inversion when it comes to QBs. They'll never believe in another QB again.

LOLOLOLOLOL

Fuck them.

 

[Mackeyser]

"rectal-cranial inversion"

I like that. Seems like another way to say Cranial Rectitus...LOL