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.

While Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins’ future in Washington is uncertain beyond 2017, team president Bruce Allen would like to keep him in the fold for the long haul.

Asked if the Redskins view Cousins as someone capable of serving as the face of the franchise for the next half-decade or so, Allen told Albert Breer of TheMMQB: “Well, since we’ve offered him a contract around that length, I’d say yes we do. 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.”

The Redskins have floated a five-year extension for Cousins, reports Breer, who adds that the new deal would include the soon-to-be 29-year-old’s franchise-tagged 2017, in which he’ll make $23.94MM. The pact would then begin in 2018 and keep Cousins under Redskins control through the 2022 campaign. However, “the sides aren’t close to getting something done now,” writes Breer. That’s not surprising, as the proposal includes “roughly” $20MM per annum and a “low guarantee,” reports Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post (Twitter link via the Post’s Mike Jones). A “serious” offer would need to feature at least $40MM fully guaranteed at signing, posits Joel Corry of CBS Sports (Twitter link).

If Washington doesn’t sign Cousins by July 15, he’ll play a second straight season under the tag. Designating him as their franchise player again next year would cost the Redskins an unpalatable $34MM-plus, which undoubtedly increases the urgency to reach a long-term deal in the next three and a half months. Cousins has made his case for a sizable committment 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.

Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins says that he never asked for a trade, despite rumors claiming he did so last week in a personal appeal to owner Dan Snyder (link via John Keim and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Instead, Cousins says he simply reached out to the Redskins to find out if they were planning on trading him. 

“I laughed and thought, ‘I don’t know where that comes from because that wasn’t the case,’” Cousins said of the report. “Somehow it got twisted..that’s not the approach I took.”

This offseason has been a bizarre one for the Redskins, even by Redskins standards. General manager Scot McCloughan was M.I.A. for several weeks without explanation from the team. Finally, last week, the Redskins fired him with anonymous team officials telling reporters that McCloughan was let go due to ongoing issues with alcohol. At the same time, there have been rumblings that top Redskins decision makers dumped McCloughan out of jealousy and a desire to regain power in the front office. With everything going on, few would have blamed Cousins for requesting a trade.

Now that he has signed his one-year tender, Cousins will play out the 2017 season for roughly $24MM, unless the two sides can agree to a long-term deal between now and July. Based on the way contract talks have gone between the two sides, a new deal doesn’t seem likely to fall into place in the next five months.

Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins will sign his franchise tag soon, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Cousins, he adds, will be a “good soldier” and understands that he’s unlikely to get dealt, despite his personal appeal to owner Dan Snyder for a trade.

Once he signs, Cousins will be slated to play out the 2017 campaign while earning nearly $24MM. In theory, the two sides can work out an extension between now and July. Based on the way talks have gone between Cousins and the Redskins to date, that doesn’t seem likely. Then again, with GM Scot McCloughan on the way out and the entire franchise in general disarray, it’s anyone’s guess as to who his reps would be negotiating with or what that lead decision maker would be inclined to do.

If Cousins doesn’t ink a multiyear deal with the Redskins by midsummer or end up in another uniform via trade in the coming months, next season could go down as his last in Washington. Tagging an unsigned Cousins again next offseason would cost the Redskins upward of $34MM, an unpalatable total.

For the second straight year, then, Cousins is in line to play without any long-term security, though he’s also on track to rake in $43MM-plus between last season and 2017 on account of the tag. Cousins has made his case for a big-money deal since breaking out during the 2015 campaign, his first as the Redskins’ full-time starter. The 28-year-old 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 and 54 touchdowns against 23 interceptions.