Kirk Cousins

Breer’s Latest: Dak, Rams, Kap, Prospects

September 1st, 2016 at 6:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dak Prescott hype train will continue into the regular season after Tony Romo‘s latest injury will put the former Mississippi State talent in command of the Cowboys. But how closely the fourth-rounder’s electric preseason will correlate with what happens beginning next week have NFL personnel split.

“He isn’t as good as his preseason performances. Teams haven’t schemed for him yet,” a league scout assigned to Mississippi State told Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. “When they do, you’ll see his accuracy get exposed. [Dallas] will need to focus on quick, short, underneath throws, that’ll mask some of the downfield accuracy issues.”

The scout notes the Cowboys have enough talent around Prescott to keep him from being exposed but expects defenses to throw exotic blitzes at the rookie to gauge his readiness.

“He’s more accurate than I thought he would be; strong arm and a good athlete, good poise for a young guy. They’re so good up front, and should be able to run the ball behind Zeke [Elliott] and [Alfred] Morris. Those backs are good, so they can take pressure off him,” a Dolphins coach told Breer, before adding the August numbers would matter “very little” because “everyone is vanilla right now.”

Here’s more from Breer, beginning with the Rams’ behind-the-scenes approach after they were dealt a blow similar to what the Vikings endured earlier this week.

Sam Bradford‘s preseason ACL tear in 2014 induced the Rams to inquire about trades for other quarterbacks. GM Les Snead did not confirm which passers the team pursued, but Breer reports the Rams made an effort to deal for Kirk Cousins and “seriously discussed” Jimmy Garoppolo with the Patriots. Snead discovered the price was too high on those passers before making a successful waiver claim for current starter Case Keenum.
The offseason intrigue surrounding the pairing of Colin Kaepernick‘s athleticism with Chip Kelly‘s system dissipated considerably this summer. Unable to work out with the team for most of the offseason due to rehab efforts, Kaepernick, as a pro scouting director noticed, was running the 49ers‘ offense much slower than either Blaine Gabbert or Jeff Driskel in the 49ers’ game against the Packers. “When Kap was in the game, [the offense] slowed down—significantly,” the anonymous director said, via Breer. “I mean, it slowed down by 10 seconds [per play]. And that indicates he’s not comfortable getting them to the line, operating the offense the way they want him to do it. And it indicates the time he missed is costing him.”
The next Notre Dame lineman to land in the first round could be left tackle Mike McGlinchey, who will take over for Ronnie Stanley. Moving from right to left tackle in advance of his redshirt-junior season, McGlinchey could follow in the footsteps of Stanley and Zack Martin. “He’s a beast!” said one area scout assigned to the Irish. “I haven’t watched film of him yet, but off the practice view alone, he’s a first- or second-round pick. He’s not as athletic as [Stanley], but he’s more physical.” McGlinchey will begin his second year as a starter for the Fighting Irish, doing so after helping Notre Dame runners average 5.63 yards per carry in 2015 — eighth-best in Division I-FBS last season.

Reactions To Tyrod Taylor’s Extension

August 12th, 2016 at 8:46pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Thanks primarily to subpar production from a slew of quarterbacks, the Bills are mired in an NFL-worst 16-year playoff drought. But they may have finally found a long-term solution under center in Tyrod Taylor, to whom they gave an extension that could run through the 2021 season and pay him up $92MM on Friday. In his first year as a starter last season, Joe Flacco‘s former backup in Baltimore emerged as a quality dual threat, combining for 24 touchdowns (20 passing, four rushing) against six interceptions. He also became the third signal-caller in league history to finish a season with a passer rating over 99 and an average of 40-plus yards rushing per game. While Taylor played under a bargain salary in 2015 and performed like someone worthy of a significant raise, he isn’t necessarily secure for the long haul in Buffalo. In fact, the way his deal is structured, Taylor will have to prove himself all over again this year.

Here are some reactions to the 27-year-old’s contract:

In extending Taylor, the Bills raised his 2016 salary from $2MM to $9.5MM. That total represents all of the fully guaranteed money in his contract, and Andrew Brandt of The MMQB points out (on Twitter) that it’s $2.5MM less than the $12MM that career backup Chase Daniel received from the Eagles in free agency. Before signing with Philadelphia in March, the soon-to-be 30-year-old Daniel accrued 77 combined passing attempts in New Orleans and Kansas City, and he didn’t necessarily impress in that limited action. Taylor, meanwhile, picked up 380 attempts last year alone and succeeded.
Considering the cost, the Bills were smart to lock up Taylor, opines Albert Breer of The MMQB (Twitter links). If Taylor falters this year, the Bills can easily move on having only thrown away $9.5MM. On the other hand, should Taylor duplicate his 2015 performance or improve on it, they’ll have a legitimate No. 1 for a below-market cost.
If he remains in Buffalo through the 2017 campaign, Taylor will collect $37MM, which Tom Pelissero of USA Today notes is the same amount new Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler will rake in through next season. The key difference is that all $37MM of Osweiler’s money was guaranteed at signing, making the Taylor deal look even better for the Bills. In fairness to Houston, Osweiler’s four-year, $72MM payday came on the open market. Still, from a statistical standpoint, Taylor clearly outdid Osweiler in 2015.
Taylor’s accord is unlikely to impact Redskins franchise-tagged quarterback Kirk Cousins, writes JP Finlay of CSN Mid-Atlantic. The two are vastly different players, for one, and Cousins, at $19.95MM, is already set to more than double Taylor’s salary this year. Both before and after tagging him, the Redskins reportedly offered Cousins $16MM per year and $24MM in guarantees on a long-term deal. While the former figure is in line with Taylor’s new average annual salary, the guaranteed sum is nearly three times higher than Taylor’s total. Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough for Cousins, whom the Redskins failed to sign to a multiyear deal by the July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players. Like Taylor, he’ll once again try to prove himself this season.

NFC East Notes: Redskins, Cousins, Giants

August 9th, 2016 at 1:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Does Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins resent his one-year franchise tender deal? That’s not the case, says Mike Jones of the Washington Post, since Cousins’ camp knew where the team stood heading into the offseason. Cousins and his agent have a lot of respect for GM Scot McCloughan and coach Jay Gruden, Jones writes, and nothing changed throughout the negotiation process. Ultimately, Cousins is embracing the challenge of proving himself again and is confident that he will cash in after a strong 2016.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

Cousins seems poised to cash in if the Redskins allow him to hit the open market, but it seems like some league officials do not hold Cousins in high esteem. ESPN.com’s Mike Sando (Insider sub. req’d) spoke to “ten GMs, five head coaches, seven offensive coordinators, five defensive coordinators, eight personnel evaluators, and seven other position coaches/execs” to get their ranking of the league’s quarterbacks. Cousins was rated 20th in the NFL, which puts him in the third tier at this position. Of course, those same officials will surely bump Cousins up the board if he is able to reprise his 2015 performance. It’s also worth considering that established quarterbacks rarely hit free agency and, when they do, their market is exceptionally strong. Case in point: Brock Osweiler is now the 16th highest-paid QB in the NFL on a per-year basis and most football people would not consider him to be in the top half of starting signal callers. All in all, the survey’s view of Cousins is surprising, but it may not mean much for his potential free agent value.
Tight end Matt LaCosse is among the under-the-radar players who could make the Giants‘ roster, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan writes. “He brings a knowledge of the position, number one, and he’s a big target,” tight ends coach Kevin M. Gilbride said. “I would say overall, as far as him going into his second season, he does everything pretty well. So when we talk about getting those tight ends, to get them in the position that we want them in, to execute their jobs, he can execute all of the jobs. But with that being said, there might be someone who’s a better run-blocker, a better threat down the field, but Matt executes everything well.” Raanan also highlights linebacker Brad Bars, wide receiver Tavarres King, cornerback Donte Deayon, and offensive lineman Adam Gettis as other dark horse candidates.
On Tuesday morning, scouting guru Dave-Te Thomas ran down the Giants‘ rookie class and highlighted their impact first-year players.
Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson could be facing a ten-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.

NFC East Notes: Redskins, Cousins, Cowboys

July 19th, 2016 at 4:55pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Although the Redskins didn’t extend franchise-tagged quarterback Kirk Cousins‘ contract by last Friday’s deadline, general manager Scot McCloughan told SiriusXM Bleacher Report Radio on Sunday that he hopes the 27-year-old is under center in Washington “for a long time going forward” (link via Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post).

McCloughan also elaborated on why he didn’t lock up Cousins, saying, “It’s the market. The NFL’s a phenomenal, phenomenal entity, and the money’s incredible. But the way I look at it is I want Kirk in a long-term deal, no doubt about it, but also I’m not gonna put our franchise in a situation where we’re gonna lose three or four younger guys that I think are gonna be good football players for one guy.”

With another strong campaign, Cousins will again put the Redskins in position to decide whether to tag or extend him next offseason. In the meantime, he’s set to pace all quarterbacks in 2016 base salary ($19.95MM), and that number will increase to $23.94MM in 2017 if the Redskins tag him for a second straight year. Prior to this summer’s extension deadline for tag recipients, Washington was only willing to pay Cousins $16MM per year and a total of $24MM in guarantees on a long-term deal.

Now for the latest on Washington’s fiercest rival:

In assessing the Cowboys’ 2016 outlook, owner Jerry Jones told NFL Network (video link), “We like what we’ve got offensively. Defensively now, we’ve got some challenges.” Jones went on to acknowledge that, given their defensive limitations, the Cowboys will need to control the ball in order to achieve optimum results. PFR recently echoed a similar sentiment in its offseason review of the Cowboys, who are positioned well on offense with Tony Romo and Dez Bryant returning from 2015 injuries, first-round running back Ezekiel Elliott joining the fold, and an elite line set to aid their skill players. On the other side of the ball, a defense that was below average last year didn’t do much to improve via free agency and the draft and will be without three important front seven members – Demarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory and Rolando McClain – to begin the season because of suspensions. While Lawrence and Gregory will sit four games apiece, Dallas won’t have McClain in the middle of its linebacker corps for 10. In response, the club brought back free agent Justin Durant, who was a Cowboy from 2013-14, on Monday.
Speaking of Bryant, the Cowboys wideout filed a lawsuit Monday against his former advisor, State. Sen Royce West, writes Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. In the suit, Bryant accuses West of using him to “improperly line his own pockets and those of his business associates” and, along with fellow ex-advisor David Wells, take $300K from him. West called Bryant’s claims “lies and frivolous” and will file a defamation lawsuit against Bryant and attorney Kenneth Broughton, per Hill. West already filed suit against Bryant last month seeking up to $200K in damages from destruction the receiver allegedly caused while leasing a home from West. “Mr. Bryant needs to take responsibility for the damage done to my house and not attempt to avert focus away from his actions by making incredulous accusations against me,” said West.
In case you missed it, Bryant officially left previous agency CAA on Monday and will use Jay-Z’s organization, Roc Nation, as representation.

NFC QB Notes: Cousins, Rodgers, 49ers, Giants

July 15th, 2016 at 8:16pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Redskins didn’t put forth much of an effort to sign quarterback Kirk Cousins to a long-term deal in advance of Friday afternoon’s deadline for franchise-tagged players, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL Media. In fact, the offer the Redskins presented Cousins at February’s scouting combine – $16MM per year and a total of $24MM in guarantees – never changed before the deadline, per Garafolo. Accepting that would’ve placed Cousins an underwhelming 21st among QBs in average annual salary, notes Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com. Cousins will instead play the year under the $19.95MM franchise tender he signed in March, and while that doesn’t give the 2015 breakout star long-term security, he is set to lead all signal-callers in 2016 salary. If Cousins proves last year wasn’t a fluke and the Redskins tag him again as a result, he’ll rake in an even richer amount, $23.94MM.

More on Cousins and some other NFC passers:

Although the Redskins’ offer to Cousins wasn’t in line with his outstanding production from last season, the organization thought it better to err on the side of caution and continue to make the 27-year-old prove he’s worthy of a substantial commitment over the long haul, writes John Keim of ESPN.com. Cousins has fans within the franchise, but others lack full certainty that he isn’t a one-year wonder. “It’s a critical moment for Kirk and the franchise,” one of Cousins’ teammates told Keim in regards to the upcoming season. “If this pans out, the franchise is set for the next eight years.” Like the anonymous player, Keim expects the Redskins to give Cousins a multiyear contract if he has another strong season.
In an interview with HBO’s Bill Simmons, the Packers‘ Aaron Rodgers relayed the possible reason why the 49ers passed on him with the first pick in the 2005 draft (via CSNBayArea.com). “The story that I heard—and I don’t know if it’s true or not—that Mike Nolan said that when he saw Alex (Smith) open the car door for his mom that he knew that was the quarterback he wanted,” Rodgers said of Nolan, who was then the 49ers’ head coach. “And I said, ‘Well, I was at lunch with him. My mom wasn’t there and my dad wasn’t there.” Smith, now with the Chiefs, has experienced a fine career after some initial growing pains, but Rodgers – who fell to the 24th selection that year – is a Super Bowl champion and a Pro Football Hall of Fame shoo-in. Nolan, who may have taken the wrong QB based on preposterous rationale, is out of work after spending last season as the linebackers coach in San Diego. The 49ers went 18-37 during his three-plus-year tenure.
The Giants plucked Logan Thomas off waivers less than a month ago, but his time with Big Blue could be short-lived, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. Rookie head coach Ben McAdoo‘s predecessor, Tom Coughlin, was a proponent of keeping two QBs, and Schwartz writes that it wouldn’t be a surprise for McAdoo to operate the same way. With Eli Manning and Ryan Nassib atop the Giants’ depth chart under center, Thomas might not make it to Week 1 in their uniform.

NFL Franchise Tag Contract Deadline Primer

July 15th, 2016 at 10:12am CST by Zachary Links

**Updated Friday morning, 10:12am CT**

This afternoon, we’ll know the fates of seven franchise-tagged players for the 2016 season and beyond. If their respective teams do not sign them to long-term contracts by 4pm ET/3pm CT, Broncos linebacker Von Miller, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, Chiefs safety Eric Berry, Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson, and Ravens kicker Justin Tucker will all play out the 2016 season on their one-year franchise tenders.

Will some of these players will reach lucrative multi-year deals between now and Friday afternoon? Or could we see all seven players nudged towards free agency in 2017? Here’s a complete rundown of what’s happening with each of these seven players as the deadline approaches:

Von Miller, Broncos

This offseason, Von Miller went from Dancing With The Stars to wrestling with the Broncos. Naturally, there is strong mutual interest in a new multi-year deal between Denver and the reigning Super Bowl MVP and the two sides even seem to have agreed upon terms of about $114.5MM over six years. However, there remains a significant gulf between the two sides when it comes to guaranteed money and cashflow in the first couple of years. As we’ve seen before, NFL contract terms are often not what they appear to be on the surface. In this league, you can be promised a small fortune, but it doesn’t mean much unless a significant portion of it is guaranteed and comes early on in the deal when the team values you most.

Back in June, the Broncos offered up a six-year, $114.5MM deal with nearly $40MM guaranteed in the first two years. However, Miller wanted more in the way of guaranteed cash and wanted a higher payout in the first three years. Soon after, Miller doubled down on his threat to hold out in 2016 if he does not get the multi-year deal that he is after and his teammates say that he’s not bluffing. Would one of the league’s best defensive players and fiercest competitors really stay home all year long rather than chase another ring and earn more than $14MM? It’s hard to imagine, but there’s also considerable incentive for Miller to stick to his guns in this situation.

If Miller opts to sit out the 2016 season, the Broncos will only be able to use the non-exclusive franchise tag on him and will not have the exclusive franchise tag at their disposal. Typically, a team that is able to pry a player away on the non-exclusive tag would have to forfeit two first-round picks to the former team. However, per the terms of the CBA, the compensation price would drop from two first-round picks to a first and a third if Miller were to sit out. Some teams would consider forfeiting two first-round choices to land Miller and even more teams would mull it over if that price drops to a first- and third-round choice.

Reportedly, Miller still harbors resentment towards the Broncos for the way that talks have gone this offseason. However, things could be changing now that Denver has updated their offer to give Miller $70MM in “solid guarantees.”

Because of Miller’s holdout threat, there’s arguably more at stake for the Broncos than the other six teams negotiating with their franchise-tagged stars.

Kirk Cousins, Redskins

After a breakout 2015 season, Kirk Cousins wants to be paid like a top NFL quarterback. The Redskins, meanwhile, want to see him do it all over again in 2016 before committing major dollars to him across a five or six-year period.

After watching Brock Osweiler go from backup to baller this offseason, Cousins’ camp is salivating at his potential payday on the open market. For Cousins to forego a shot at free agency down the line, his agents are demanding $43.89MM in guarantees over the first two years of the pact, for starters. Wonder where that number comes from? That’s the combined value of the 2016 franchise tag ($19.95MM) and the franchise tag in 2017 ($23.94MM), if the Redskins were to use it again. If Washington wanted to go for an unprecedented three-peat of franchise tags, it would cost them $34.47MM (!) in 2018.

Cousins earned just $660K in 2015, making him one of the league’s very best values last year. Now, he’s looking to cash in on his next deal and he’s made it clear that he’s willing to bet on himself in 2016. As of this writing, the two sides are not expected to come to an accord by Friday afternoon.

Alshon Jeffery, Bears

Alshon Jeffery is regarded as one of the league’s top wide receivers – when he’s healthy. That’s likely the sticking point for the Bears, who want to see the 26-year-old give them a complete season before they give him enough money to buy his own private island. The 6’3″, 216-pound receiver missed six games during his rookie season because of hand and knee injuries. Last year, he sat out seven contests due to calf, hamstring, groin, and shoulder ailments.

However, despite missing a good chunk of the 2016 season, Jeffery still racked up 54 catches for 807 yards and four touchdowns. Since his breakout campaign in 2013, the former second-round pick has averaged 89 receptions, 1,312 yards, and eight touchdowns per 16 games. Jeffery might not have a perfect attendance record, but he is a true game-changer when he is on the field.

Right now, it doesn’t sound like the Bears are going to get a deal done with Jeffery. GM Ryan Pace doesn’t have any qualms about moving on from players of the past regime and he could theoretically allow Jeffery to walk thanks to the presence of Kevin White.

Continue reading about the rest of this year’s franchise-tagged stars:

Muhammad Wilkerson, Jets

The Jets have shown very little interest in re-signing Muhammad Wilkerson to a long-term deal and, frankly, their lack of movement on that front is perplexing. Sure, the team already has a star lineman in Sheldon Richardson with another budding talent in Leonard Williams, but Wilkerson is a proven commodity who has delivered for the team ever since his rookie debut in 2011.

“It’s shocking. It’s frustrating,” Wilkerson said of the barely existent contract talks last month. “Because I feel like I’ve earned it and I deserve it. It would be different if I was just a mediocre player. I feel like each and every week I’m dominating and it’s showing. The stats speak for themselves. Basically, what more do I need to do? You know what I mean?”

We know exactly what you mean, Mo. The 26-year-old enjoyed his best season as a pro in 2015, racking up a career-high 12 sacks and forcing three fumbles, to go along with 64 tackles. Arguably the best defensive player for the Jets last season, Wilkerson also earned his first Pro Bowl berth. Still, the Jets seem quite comfortable with letting him ply his craft somewhere else after the 2016 season.

The two sides are reportedly making an effort to talk as the deadline approaches, but an accord still seems like a longshot.

Eric Berry, Chiefs

As the face of the franchise, many viewed a lucrative multi-deal between Berry and the Chiefs to be a foregone conclusion. However, we’re less than 24 hours away from the deadline and there’s no pact in place.

This offseason, Vikings safety Harrison Smith set a new bar at the position with his five-year, $51.25MM contract, giving him a higher AAV than Jairus Byrd, Devin McCourty, and Earl Thomas. Understandably, Berry wants to top Smith, even though the Vikes standout was rated by Pro Football Focus as the league’s best safety in 2015.

Lately, talks have been moving slowly between the two sides and that’s partially due to KC’s tight cap situation. While a backloaded Berry deal would actually help create some breathing room against the cap limit for 2016, it would simultaneously put the squeeze on for 2017. Of course, the Chiefs have other players and needs to address, including a contract for nose tackle Dontari Poe. If you asked us to wager on Berry signing a long-term deal with KC back in March, we would have bet the house. A deal was thought to be unlikely as of Thursday evening, but the latest word on Friday morning is that talks are active and the two sides are planning to work up until the deadline to get something done.

Trumaine Johnson, Rams

For weeks, we’ve been hearing that a long-term deal between Trumaine Johnson and the Rams is unlikely. On Thursday morning, word leaked out that a deal is still pretty darn unlikely. On Friday morning, we heard more of the same.

This offseason, the Rams had a choice between giving the franchise tag to either Johnson or fellow cornerback Janoris Jenkins. While Johnson was invited to make the move from St. Louis to Los Angeles, Jenkins was allowed to test the open waters and wound up signing a five-year, $62.5MM deal with the Giants. Logically, Johnson’s reps view Jenkins’ deal as a perfect comp and they are not interested in taking a dollar less. While things have gotten chippy for others (see: Miller and the Broncos), talks have remained civil between Johnson and L.A. The cornerback seems content to play out the 2016 season under the $13.952MM tender.

Johnson, 26, had just 20 career starts on his NFL résumé prior to 2015, but he established himself as a reliable starting cornerback last season, picking up 71 tackles, seven interceptions, and 17 passes defended, grading out as the No. 17 CB in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

Justin Tucker, Ravens

Just as one of the seven dwarfs always seems to get forgotten, there hasn’t been much talk nationally about Justin Tucker’s negotiations with the Ravens. The Ravens took the somewhat unusual step of tagging their kicker with the franchise tag this offseason and the two sides have been working on a long-term deal ever since. Earlier this week, Tucker expressed confidence that a deal would get done by the Friday deadline, though he admitted that momentum has stalled:

“As of right now, there hasn’t been a whole lot happening, but there’s still time. Like I’ve said before, I’m optimistic that something will get done. It’s a matter of when, not if,” Tucker said. “I know there’s a lot of things to juggle from their perspective, so all I can do is just be patient and let the process unfold how it’s going to unfold,” he said. “There’s no sense in complaining about it. I’m definitely in a very fortunate position, and I just hope that I can take this one year and turn it into four or five, or perhaps even more.”

On Thursday, things apparently regressed between the two sides. Tucker is said to be so upset with the tenor of the talks that he’s promising not to re-sign with Baltimore after the 2016 season if no extension is reached by the deadline. Baltimore’s latest proposal to Tucker was not only for less than their past offers, but less than what the Packers are paying fellow kicker Mason Crosby. Baltimore’s latest proposal to Tucker was not only for less than their past offers, but less than what the Packers are paying fellow kicker Mason Crosby.

Tucker, meanwhile, is likely looking to top the contract signed by Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski last year. Gostkowski’s deal four-year, $17.2MM deal gave him significant guarantees up front while reducing the Pats’ present-day cap hit. A similar deal could still be on the way for Tucker, but if they can’t come to terms, he’ll play out 2016 on a one-year, $4.572MM contract. If that’s the case, Tucker could be taking his leg elsewhere.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Deals Still Unlikely For Cousins, Johnson

July 15th, 2016 at 9:39am CST by Zachary Links

The impending deadline for extensions seems to be bringing the Broncos and Von Miller closer together, but that’s not the case for other franchise-tagged stars. As of this morning, there is still no movement between the Redskins and Kirk Cousins on a long-term deal, according to Mike Jones of The Washington Post (on Twitter). Same goes for the Rams and cornerback Trumaine Johnson, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

In the case of Johnson, La Canfora notes that the two sides spoke on Thursday night, but the Rams and the cornerback’s camp are still very far apart on terms. That jibes with everything we’ve been hearing about the talks over the last couple of months. For those who haven’t been following along, the CliffsNotes version goes something like this: after seeing ex-teammate Janoris Jenkins get megabucks from the Giants, Johnson wants at least that much to forego his opportunity at free agency. The Rams, meanwhile, are not yet willing to give Jenkins a top cornerback’s AAV over the course of a long-term deal. Without a deal, Jenkins will play out the 2016 season under the $13.952MM tender, making him the fifth-highest paid CB in the NFL this year.

Cousins and the Redskins have also been far apart on terms and, like Johnson and the Rams, the two sides have been haggling without getting ugly. The Redskins would love to lock up Cousins, but the quarterback is willing to bet on himself and he sees a repeat of the franchise tag in 2017 (and maybe 2018) as his floor. To forego a turn on the open market, Cousins’ camp is looking for those tender amounts to be fully guaranteed in a long-term deal and, as of this writing, Daniel Snyder & Co. have been unwilling to go that far.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Franchise-Tagged Players

July 14th, 2016 at 10:48am CST by Zachary Links

Barring an unlikely change in momentum, extensions are not expected to be reached for franchise-tagged players Kirk Cousins, Eric Berry, Alshon Jeffery, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Trumaine Johnson, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Schefter’s latest word echoes other reports on these five players, but two names are conspicuously absent from this list: Von Miller and Justin Tucker. It’s not clear if the Broncos and Ravens are on the cusp of deals with their respective franchise-tagged stars, but their odds of reaching deals could be looking better than the rest of the pack at this time.

As Mike Florio of PFT notes, things have been eerily quiet when it comes to Miller and the Broncos, which could be an indication that talks are moving along behind the scenes. In recent weeks, the acrimony between the two sides has been leaking out to the press, so this recent lack of news could be taken as good news when it comes to these contract talks.

The Broncos could theoretically trade Miller if they are unable to reach a long-term deal with him in the next day or so, but the team is focused only on retaining him. Meanwhile, Miller’s threat to sit out the 2016 season reportedly remains “very real” and several teammates believe that he will spend the year at home if he does not get his way. Late last week, the Broncos improved their offer to Miller, giving him more in the way of guarantees and better cashflow in the early part of the deal. Those are the key issues left to resolve as the two sides have largely agreed on the framework of a six-year, $114.5MM deal.

As the Ravens’ franchise player, Tucker will make $4.572MM this year if he and the team don’t agree to a new contract by tomorrow’s deadline. Some believe that the two sides haven’t struck a deal yet because Tucker is likely looking to eclipse the Patriots’ Stephen Gostkowski as the NFL’s highest-paid kicker.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Cousins, Broncos, Texans

July 10th, 2016 at 12:31pm CST by Rory Parks

Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com is fully aware of the recent report indicating that Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins will not sign a long-term deal with Washington prior to the July 15 deadline, which means that he will play the 2016 season under the franchise tag. However, Tandler is not ruling out the possibility of a multi-year contract just yet. As he observes, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who reported that the Cousins-Redskins impasse would not be resolved this week, said more or less the same thing about the Demaryius Thomas negotiations last year, only to see Thomas sign a five-year contract with Denver right before the deadline.

Florio, though, is not the only one to report that Cousins would play out the 2016 season on his franchise tender. ESPN’s Adam Schefter, for instance, has said the same thing for at least a month. But as Tandler notes, deadlines drive deals, and both Cousins and the Redskins still have plenty of incentive to get a deal done in the next couple of days.

Now let’s take a look at a few more notes from around the league, beginning with another franchise-tagged player:

Jason Cole of Bleacher Report has a non-update update on Von Miller, tweeting that there is no news of any kind to pass along on the negotiations between the Broncos star and the club today. Mike Klis of 9News.com, though, reports that there is a reason for that lack of news. Klis says that the two parties are expected to think about where they are in negotiations today, but not necessarily talk about it. Talks are expected to resume tomorrow, as neither side wants to jeopardize the progress that has been made in recent days.
We heard several days ago that contract talks between the Broncos and wideout Emmanuel Sanders have been put on hold, and Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post opines that although Sanders deserves top dollar, he will probably have to leave Denver as a free agent after the 2016 season to find it. As Kiszla writes, the Broncos’ way of doing business doesn’t seem to be quite as generous now that Pat Bowlen is no longer in charge of day-to-day operations.
Andrew Mason of DenverBroncos.com looks at how the Broncos might go about replacing Malik Jackson, and Mason writes that the Broncos will likely turn to a committee approach, with Vance Walker at the head of the committee.
Texans superstar J.J. Watt‘s six-year, $100MM deal was “handled perfectly” in 2014, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com writes. Fitzgerald goes on to explain how Houston got away with “highway robbery” in that contract, perhaps exploiting Watt’s desire to be a $100MM player to gain a favorable contractual structure. As such, Fitzgerald believes Watt’s deal is the best one on the Texans’ books, whereas new quarterback Brock Osweiler‘s much-ballyhooed contract is the worst.

Kirk Cousins To Play 2016 Under Franchise Tag

July 8th, 2016 at 8:26am CST by Connor J. Byrne

The July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign new contracts is fast approaching, but the Redskins and quarterback Kirk Cousins have not made progress toward an agreement, reports Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who adds that circumstances will not change over the next week. That means the Redskins and Cousins won’t be free to negotiate a long-term deal again until the end of the season. In the meantime, Cousins will play 2016 under the $19.95MM franchise tender he signed in March.

Given the lofty price of the tag this season – which will increase to $23.94MM if Washington uses it again on Cousins in 2017 – the 27-year-old doesn’t have much incentive to ink an extension. If the two sides were to strike a deal, it would take the Redskins the combined price of the tags, $43.89MM in guarantees, over the first two seasons of the pact, per Florio.

Tagging Cousins again in 2018 would cost the Redskins an unpalatable $34.47MM. That’s a long way off, though, and the franchise first wants Cousins to prove his red-hot finish to the 2015 campaign wasn’t a fluke. The four-year veteran closed the regular season on a tear, completing 74 percent of his passes for nearly 1,200 yards, 12 touchdowns and a 134.0 quarterback rating over the final four weeks. That astounding stretch helped the Redskins to a 9-7 overall mark and an NFC East title.

In total, Cousins ended his first full season as a starter with a 69.8 completion percentage, 29 scores, 11 interceptions, 4,166 yards and a 101.6 passer rating. Before usurping the No. 1 job from former second overall pick Robert Griffin III last summer, Cousins appeared in 14 games and made nine starts from 2012-14. Notably, Griffin and Cousins were part of the same Redskins draft class in 2012, though the team invested only a fourth-rounder in the latter signal-caller.

At $660K, Cousins earned a paltry sum for a starting quarterback last season. But thanks to his down-the-stretch brilliance, the ex-Michigan State Spartan will pace all QBs in base salary this year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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