Kirk Cousins - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Notes: Redskins, Eagles, 49ers, Vikes

May 24th, 2017 at 7:09pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Quarterback Kirk Cousins indicated Wednesday that contract talks between him and the Redskins will go down to the July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players, per JP Finlay of CSN Mid-Atlantic. “Deadlines do deals,” said Cousins, who added that July 15 “will be a telling date, as it was last summer.” Cousins and the team weren’t able to find common ground then, leading him to play last season under the $19.95MM franchise tag. As of now, Cousins is set to make around $24MM as the Redskins’ franchise player in 2017, and that number will climb to $34MM-plus if the club tags him again next offseason. While astronomical, that figure wouldn’t necessarily scare off Washington, according to president Bruce Allen.

Redskins May Franchise Kirk Cousins Again

May 23rd, 2017 at 7:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

A third consecutive franchise tag for quarterback Kirk Cousins would net him north of $34MM for the 2018 campaign, but that hasn’t dissuaded the Redskins from considering another franchise tender, as JP Finlay of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes.

“Yes,” said Redskins president Bruce Allen when asked if his club could deploy the franchise tag on Cousins next season. “In the collective bargaining agreement, we really have one year and an option that we can do at the end of next season if we don’t get a contract.”

The NFL’s CBA would require Washington to pay Cousins 144% of his 2017 salary if it used the franchise tag for another year. Given that Cousins is scheduled to earn a fully guaranteed ~$24MM during the upcoming campaign, he’d be due almost $34.5MM in 2018 (that figure, too, would be fully guaranteed). If the Redskins opt to go that route, Cousins would have raked in roughly $78.5MM from 2016-2018.

Trade rumors surrounded Cousins throughout the offseason, but now he’s almost assuredly staying put in Washington for the 2017 season. Cousins, 28, has been adamant that he hopes to remain with the Redskins for the long-term, and Allen said Monday the team is optimistic an extension will eventually be hammered out. The two sides have until July 15 to reach a new deal, or else Cousins will play out the year under the franchise tender.

Redskins Rumors: Cousins, Doctson

May 22nd, 2017 at 11:04am CST by Zachary Links

Redskins president Bruce Allen says the team has maintained a dialogue with Kirk Cousins‘ agent (Twitter link via Josh Keim of ESPN.com). Allen said he remains optimistic they can reach a long-term deal.

The Redskins have been publicly telling everyone that things are pointing in the right direction with Cousins, but it seems like the two sides are still oceans apart on a potential extension. Earlier this year, the Redskins proposed a five-year deal worth $20MM annually, but Cousins rejected that in favor of playing out the season on his one-year, $24MM repeat franchise tender. If the Redskins were to franchise tag him for a third consecutive season, he’d make a whopping $34MM in 2018, so an average annual value of $20MM won’t be enough for him to give up his chance at free agency.

The deadline for franchise tagged players to sign extensions is on July 15th. It’s possible that the deadline will spur action, but if it does not, then the Redskins will have to wait until after the season has concluded to restart talks.

Here’s more out of D.C.:

Allen said he’s met with a dozen people about a front office job in Washington (Twitter link via Keim). He went on to say that he’d like to add two or three people to the front office in some capacity. The Redskins do not intend to hire a new GM, so it sounds like they’ll simply reorganize the front office with the addition of some new faces. Presumably, it will be Allen and owner Dan Snyder calling the shots.
Redskins coach Jay Gruden says that wide receiver Josh Doctson will be participating in full during OTAs. The TCU product played in only two games last year thanks to an Achilles injury.
The Redskins will not be relocating any of their outside linebackers to defensive end before camp starts.

Extra Points: Cousins, Fitz, Bills, L. Green

May 19th, 2017 at 9:03pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Franchise-tagged quarterback Kirk Cousins has spoken highly of Redskins brass lately, but it remains doubtful that the two sides will agree to a long-term contract by the July 15 deadline, writes Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Cousins has little incentive to take Washington’s $20MM-per-year offer, observes Tandler, as he’s set to make a fully guaranteed ~$24MM as the team’s franchise player this season and could earn another $34MM in 2018 in the unlikely event it places the franchise tag on him again. Otherwise, Cousins could be in position next offseason to hit free agency and ink a lucrative contract with either the Redskins or someone else.

Redskins Not Looking To Draft QB In Day 2

April 28th, 2017 at 12:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins, it seems, have rebuffed advances for their starting quarterback. With that in mind, they are not looking to draft a quarterback on Day 2, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (video link).

Instead, the Redskins will only look into a quarterback on Day 3, which would indicate that they are more interested in taking a developmental type of player. It’s an interesting play for the Redskins when considering that they have yet to make a long-term commitment to Kirk Cousins. Despite proving himself across multiple seasons, Washington has so far been unwilling to pay him like a top quarterback. If Cousins turns in another strong season, the Redskins will either have to give him the monster multi-year deal he is seeking or give him a third franchise tag which would upwards of $34MM.

The Redskins have plenty of non-QB needs to address in the pivotal second and third rounds, but they’re also doing themselves a disservice if they do not consider some of the top arms available. If they cannot retain Cousins in 2018, they could be left scrambling.

The Redskins own the No. 49 and No. 81 picks in tonight’s section of the draft.

Four Teams Call Redskins About Kirk Cousins

April 27th, 2017 at 9:24pm CST by Zachary Links

“At least four teams” have called the Redskins about quarterback Kirk Cousins, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. It’s not immediately clear whether the Redskins are listening with an open mind. Earlier tonight, we learned that the Browns called to inquire on Cousins, but we don’t know who the other three teams are.

Cousins has been in trade rumors this offseason as the Redskins still have yet to make a long-term commitment to him. For the time being, Cousins is slated to play out the 2017 season on an expensive repeat franchise tag. The Redskins might not be ready to pay him like a top 12 quarterback, but another team likely would be.

I would imagine that any package for Cousins would include a high 2017 draft pick that would allow the Redskins to add a promising young quarterback. With Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, and Patrick Mahomes already off of the board, it’s not clear which available QB, if any, would allow the Redskins to part with Cousins.

Browns Attempting To Trade For Kirk Cousins?

April 27th, 2017 at 7:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns are trying to trade for Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). At this time, Rapoport says the Browns aren’t particularly interested in dealing Cousins, but anything is possible.

Meanwhile, Redskins sources are telling Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that Cousins will not be traded to the Browns. Also, top Cleveland exec Sashi Brown told reporters that the Browns have not called on Cousins (via Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer).

For his part, Cousins has said that he wants to remain with the Redskins.

“I want to be where I’m wanted, and that’s what I’ve said all along,” Cousins said recently. “When a team is willing to step up and commit to me fully for the long haul, then why would I want to be anywhere else? I mean, this is an incredible fan base. It’s one of the top five fan bases in the history of the NFL. It goes all the way back to the early 1930s. There’s three Super Bowl trophies, there’s multiple Hall of Famers, there’s high character players still living in the area — Darrell Green, Art Monk, guys that we can learn from. I love this organization and want to see us get back to those glory days that they had with Coach (Joe) Gibbs in the ’80s and early ’90s. And I want to add to that great history. There’s really no reason to want to look elsewhere. It’s a matter of wanting to be where you’re wanted, and I think that’s what all of us want — not just in football but in any walk of life.”

Cousins started in all of the Redskins’ games over the past two seasons and helped the team to a 17-14-1 record, including an NFC East title in 2015. Along the way, Cousins combined for over 9,000 yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.

Kirk Cousins Wants To Stay With Redskins

April 20th, 2017 at 9:56am CST by Zachary Links

Kirk Cousins isn’t expecting to be traded this offseason and he isn’t rooting for a deal either. In a conversation this week with Peter King of The MMQB, Cousins reaffirmed his desire to stay with the Redskins.

“I want to be where I’m wanted, and that’s what I’ve said all along,” Cousins said (transcript via Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post). “When a team is willing to step up and commit to me fully for the long haul, then why would I want to be anywhere else? I mean, this is an incredible fan base. It’s one of the top five fan bases in the history of the NFL. It goes all the way back to the early 1930s. There’s three Super Bowl trophies, there’s multiple Hall of Famers, there’s high character players still living in the area — Darrell Green, Art Monk, guys that we can learn from. I love this organization and want to see us get back to those glory days that they had with Coach (Joe) Gibbs in the ’80s and early ’90s. And I want to add to that great history. There’s really no reason to want to look elsewhere. It’s a matter of wanting to be where you’re wanted, and I think that’s what all of us want — not just in football but in any walk of life.”

The Redskins and Cousins’ camp might have different ideas as to what kind of deal should make him feel wanted. Cousins, for all of his loyalty to the team, is keen on getting what he perceives as fair market value. So far, the Redskins’ offers haven’t enticed him. The most recent pitch has the Redskins proposing a five-year deal worth $20MM annually, but Cousins has turned that down in favor of playing out the season on his one-year, $24MM repeat franchise tender.

If Cousins continues on his current trajectory, the Redskins will lose a great deal of leverage next offseason when a third franchise tag would cost more than $34MM. The 28-year-old (29 in August) wants to stay, but he won’t tie himself down for mid-range QB money.

NFC Notes: Redskins, Cousins, Cook, Bears

April 11th, 2017 at 8:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Despite all the trade rumors that surrounded Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins earlier this offseason, the veteran signal-caller expects to spend the 2017 campaign in Washington. “I haven’t heard anything,” Cousins said today on ESPN’s NFL Live (link via John Keim of ESPN.com). “I’m not expecting anything to happen. And I’m looking forward to getting back to work with my teammates.” The Redskins are reportedly offering Cousins a five-year deal worth $20MM annually, but if a deal isn’t struck, Cousins will play out the season on his second consecutive franchise tag (at a cost of nearly $24MM). Cousins has already signed the tender, fully guaranteeing himself that salary for 2017.

Here’s more from the NFC:

The Redskins hosted Florida State running back Dalvin Cook today, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Scouts are reportedly cooling on Cook due to character issues, and he didn’t post impressive numbers at the combine. But the production is there on film, and Cook is still expected to come off the board on Day 1. Rob Kelley and Chris Thompson formed a “thunder and lightning” attack for Washington in 2016, while Matt Jones and Mack Brown are also on the roster.
Utah offensive tackle Garett Bolles visited the Bears today, a source tells Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Bolles, though slightly older than the typical NFL draft prospect (he’ll be 25 when the season begins), is now viewed as a top-20 selection and could even find his way into the top 10. Chicago isn’t in dire need of an offensive tackle, and Bolles almost certainly won’t be in consideration at pick No. 3. Charles Leno and Bobby Massie are set to man tackle for the Bears in 2017.
The Redskins are meeting with Washington safety Budda Baker today, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Baker will subsequently meet with the Falcons later in the week. Although he’s small in stature (195 pounds), Baker “screams off the edge as a blitzer,” says Lance Zeirlein of NFL.com, who compares Baker to former NFL defensive MVP Bob Sanders. Baker will likely be a late first-round or early second-round pick.

Latest On Kirk Cousins

April 2nd, 2017 at 8:39am CST by Rory Parks

We learned several days ago that the Redskins offered Kirk Cousins a five-year extension that would begin in 2018, after Cousins plays out the 2017 campaign under the $23.94MM franchise tag. However, we also heard that the two sides remain far apart in negotiations, as the proposed extension does not include significant guaranteed money.

Not only is the Redskins’ current offer not sufficient to tempt Cousins, but John Keim of ESPN.com is pessimistic that a long-term deal will get done at all (some sources, Keim says, are even more pessimistic). Keim believes the club has waited too long to make an offer that Cousins will accept, and that, at this point, Cousins has more incentive to wait and see how things play out in Washington with respect to the direction of the franchise, how he meshes with coach Jay Gruden as a playcaller, etc. After all, if the Redskins want to be sure that Cousins remains with the team in 2018, they would need to apply the franchise tag for a third and final time next year, which would mean paying Cousins over $34MM. If Washington does not offer an extension that includes at least that much in fully-guaranteed money, Cousins may be better off testing the open market, where he would almost certainly be the best quarterback available.

For its part, the team continues to insist that an extension will get done, and perhaps as the July deadline for a long-term pact approaches, Washington will increase its offer enough to get Cousins to eschew the prospect of free agency in 2018. But as Keim notes, the Redskins also have to be realistic and prepare for the chance that Cousins will not be around next year. Not everyone in the organization is as convinced as departed GM Scot McCloughan that 2016 sixth-rounder Nate Sudfeld is the solution, and this year’s crop of rookie signal-callers is believed to be rather weak. Nonetheless, as Keim reports, McCloughan was “studying a lot of quarterbacks” prior to his dismissal, which could have been simple due diligence, or which could have been preparation for life with Cousins.

As our Connor Byrne wrote earlier this week, Cousins has made his case for a sizable commitment since he took over as the Redskins’ starter in 2015. He started all of the Redskins’ games over the past two seasons and helped the team to a 17-14-1 record, including an NFC East title in 2015. Along the way, Cousins combined for over 9,000 yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.