There has been no movement on an extension between the Redskins and Kirk Cousins, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets. A deal is not close and there will not be an agreement until someone budges between now and Monday, Robinson adds. 
[RELATED: Former Agent Suggests $130MM Contract For Cousins]
This latest report is consistent with what we’ve been hearing about talks between Cousins and the Redskins in recent weeks. As of this writing, it sounds like there won’t be extensions ironed out for Cousins, Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, or Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson. But, we have to throw in the obvious caveat – things can always change and deadlines tend to spur action.
Cousins has indicated that he is looking to reset the market on a new multi-year deal and he will not be giving the Redskins any form of a hometown discount. In fact, there are rumors that Cousins is extremely unhappy in the nation’s capital and that might mean that there is no amount of money the Redskins can offer him to get him to stay.
Redskins has been hit with the one-year, $24MM franchise tag, representing a 20% increase over the franchise tender he earned in 2016. The Redskins can conceivably retain Cousins again in 2018 with a third straight franchise tag, but that would call for a salary of $34MM. Alternatively, they could control him with the transition tag, but that would still set the Redskins back $28MM and would not entitle them to any form of compensation if he is signed away by a rival club. When considering the combined values of this year’s franchise tag ($24MM) plus the value of a transition tag next year ($28MM), Cousins’ camp must be seeking no less than $52MM in guarantees on a fresh contract.
I wonder if they’ll trade him
Why don’t they just give him a multiple year dear
Because they are so dumb lol their front office sucks.
He always gets the coolest photo backgrounds
Mace Windu around the corner with his purple lightsaber lol
I still think he wants to play in SF with Shanahan and I think there is no way he signs an extension.
He’ll be perfectly anywhere that gives that money. Washington included. They’re actually fairly smart in this regard. He either goes out and has a career year in which he’ll get roughly the same amount of money or he’ll revert to his norm and they can let another team swallow that bullet.
Bingo. It’s a win-win situation for both sides now. Cousins refuses to sign a “deal”. Hence the Redskins will be paying maximum dollar for Cousins no matter what happens. Pro quarterbacks’ careers sometimes end in seconds. Even more often their form is cripple. There’s no guarantee that Kirk Cousins will survive next season in pro bowl capable health.
The Redskins really should have gone to the playoffs last year. Defensive inconsistency and Cousins’ inability to turn big yards into scores left them sitting home. If Cousins were the guaranteed $75 million quarterback he pretends to be, the Redskins would have made the playoffs last year. He might become that QB in 2017-2018. The price tag can’t go much higher than where it is now.
From the team’s perspective:
1. Cousins will be very keen not to get injured (no guaranteed money).
2. Cousins will be keen to show that he is truly a franchise quarterback.
If he delivers what he has to, the Redskins will be delighted to pay the difference. If Cousins continues to flash hot and cold, the Redskins will be delighted to pay him accordingly or let someone else pay him. The Cousins situation is certainly one of the most interesting pro sports free agent/franchise player/negotiations to take place in years. Regardless of his eventual place in football, Cousins will have a place in sports law and contract negotiations courses for decades to come.