Redskins Franchise Tag Kirk Cousins
The Redskins are placing the exclusive franchise tag on Kirk Cousins, the team announced. He’ll play on a one-year, $23.94MM deal, unless the two sides can agree on a longer deal between now and July.
The exclusive tag means that other clubs cannot negotiate deals with Cousins. Under the non-exclusive variation, teams would have been able to sign Cousins to an offer sheet. An unmatched offer sheet would have resulted in a deal, though it would have meant the forfeiture of two first-round picks to the Redskins. In most cases, teams do not pursue non-exclusive tagged franchise players, but Cousins would have been an exception given the lack of quality available QBs out there.
Today’s news does not preclude the Redskins from trading Cousins, which has been a rumored possibility for some time now. The 49ers have been mentioned as a possible landing spot for the QB and, depending on who you ask, that may be the only trade he’s willing to help facilitate. The Browns may also show interest in Cousins as they try to figure out their future under center. Cousins does not have a no-trade clause, but he can effectively block any deal by refusing to negotiate a long-term deal with a new team.
In his two years as a starter, Cousins has helped the Redskins to plus-.500 seasons – including a 9-7, NFC East-winning showing in 2015 – while flourishing statistically. Cousins is coming off a year in which he completed 67 percent of passes, nearly reached the 5,000-yard mark (4,917), and tossed 25 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. This past year, Pro Football Focus rated him as one of the ten best QBs in the NFL.
Kirk Cousins Would Only Accept 49ers Trade?
Kirk Cousins 
doesn’t have a no-trade clause, but he can effectively block any potential trade by refusing to agree to a contract extension with the proposed acquiring team. With that in mind, Cousins would only accept a trade to the 49ers, John Keim of ESPN.com hears. However, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) is getting different info, hearing from a source that Cousins would be open to playing for teams other than Redskins or 49ers, if that’s how things play out. The Browns, he adds, are “intriguing.”
[RELATED: Redskins Interested In Kenny Britt]
After an abysmal 2016, it’s a bit surprising to hear that Cousins could be willing to join up with the Browns. At the same time, the team is flush with cap space and tons of draft picks, so the potential for a quick turnaround is there. Cleveland’s inability to find a franchise quarterback is well-documented and Cousins could be the guy to put a stop to their QB curse. The Browns may be prioritizing a Jimmy Garoppolo trade, but Cousins would be one heck of a consolation prize.
The Redskins are expected to tag Cousins between now and the Wednesday deadline, regardless of their longer term plans for him. Cousins, meanwhile, is unwilling to sign a long-term extension with Washington before that point.
Opinion: Redskins Botched Cousins Contract
No matter the final outcome, the Redskins have mangled the Kirk Cousins negotiations, as Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports and Mike Jones of the Washington Post write in dueling pieces. If Washington applies the franchise tag for a second consecutive year, Cousins will have earned nearly $44MM over the past two years. That total, per Robinson, would have been an acceptable level of guarantees on a long-term Cousins deal that included, say, a $20MM annual average. In his piece, Jones invites former NFL negotiators Joel Corry and Joe Banner to discuss the Cousins situation in a back-and-forth format, making both articles must-reads.
Ingram, Johnson To Be Franchise Tagged?
Melvin Ingram and Trumaine Johnson are among the players expected to be franchise tagged between now and March 1, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Schefter also lists Kirk Cousins, Le’Veon Bell, Kawann Short as guys who are likely to get the tag. 
While Cousins, Bell, and Short have long been seen as likely franchise candidates, things were less certain when it came to California’s two top free agents. Ingram has racked up 18.5 sacks over the past two seasons, but the Chargers have lots of holes to fill and some believed that the team would direct those resources elsewhere. Johnson, meanwhile, is coming off of a so-so season and the Rams will have to pay a surcharge in order to tag him for a second time.
It’s likely that the latest salary cap projection is playing a role in the decisions. It now sounds like the cap will land somewhere between $166MM and $169MM, up from $155.27MM last year. The one-year franchise tenders are expensive, but they are easier to swallow now that all 32 teams will have a little extra room to work with.
Our most recent edition of the Free Agent Power Rankings had Ingram as the fourth-best free agent on the board. Johnson was outside of the Top 10 but earned honorable mention.
Opinion: Redskins Could Target Calais Campbell
- Free agent defensive lineman Calais Campbell could make sense as a target for the Redskins, opines John Keim of ESPN.com. Washington ranked 27th in adjusted line yards allowed in 2016, so Campbell — who excels at run defense — would make for a logical acquisition as the club seeks to remake its defense under new coordinator Greg Manusky. However, general manager Scot McCloughan has displayed an aversion to pursuing free agents over the age of 30, and I wrote that the Redskins should aim to get younger along their defensive line when assessing the team’s top offseason needs.
Details On Junior Galette's New Contract
- Outside linebacker Junior Galette‘s new deal with the Redskins is for one year and $800k ($775 base salary, $25k workout bonus), according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). The 28-year-old reportedly re-signed with the team back in late January.
[SOURCE LINK]
Redskins To Begin FA Negotiations At Combine
- The Redskins haven’t engaged in negotiations with any of their impending free agents yet, but talks will take place at next week’s combine, reports Mike Jones of Washington Post. John Keim of ESPN.com passed along slightly different information earlier this month, writing that the Redskins had held discussions with unsigned tight end Vernon Davis. Regardless, no deal has materialized for Davis, who’s on a list of UFAs that also includes quarterback Kirk Cousins, wide receivers Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson, and defensive lineman Chris Baker.
Redskins Notes: Hall, Doctson
- The likelihood is that the Redskins won’t retain safety DeAngelo Hall at his $5MM-plus cap hit for 2017, according to Rich Tandler of CSN Mid-Atlantic. The club will either release the 33-year-old, which would save $4.25MM, or keep him at a lesser rate, Tandler suggests. Hall sat out 13 games last season on account of a late-September ACL tear and has missed a combined 31 contests since 2014.
- Wide receiver Josh Doctson, another member of the Redskins who wasn’t much of a factor in 2016, is making encouraging progress in his recovery from a strained right Achilles’ tendon, details Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Doctson hasn’t had any setbacks since doctors cleared him to run earlier this month, and the Redskins “are closely monitoring his progress” with fellow wideouts Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson set to reach the open market. After going 22nd in last year’s draft, Doctson missed all but two games and caught two passes as a rookie.
Redskins Interested In Kenny Britt
The Redskins are in danger of losing two of their best wide receivers, Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson, when free agency opens March 9. With that in mind, the club has interest in another high-profile soon-to-be free agent, the Rams’ Kenny Britt, reports JP Finlay of CSN Mid-Atlantic.
[RELATED: 2017’s Top Offensive Free Agents]
Despite being a member of the worst offense in the NFL last season, Britt logged personal bests in catches (68), targets (111) and yards (1,002), and he posted the second-highest touchdown total of his eight-year career (five). Thanks to his success in 2016, Britt could command in the range of $8MM to $12MM per annum on a multiyear contract, sources told Finlay. Garcon and Jackson, who each tallied production in Britt’s neighborhood last year, figure to rake in similar amounts on their next deals.
Unlike the 28-year-old Britt, Garcon and Jackson had the benefit of playing with a high-end quarterback, fellow impending free agent Kirk Cousins, last season. Britt is mindful of Cousins’ murky status and would only want to join the Redskins if the signal-caller stays in Washington, according to Finlay. Even retaining Cousins wouldn’t guarantee anything for the Redskins with respect to Britt, as Finlay notes that at least seven other clubs are currently targeting the 6-foot-3, 223-pounder.
Redskins Pondering Tony Romo Pursuit?
The Redskins have made little progress in extension talks with quarterback Kirk Cousins, and the club is now “wondering” if they could acquire a veteran signal-caller such as the Cowboys’ Tony Romo if Cousins were traded, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).
[RELATED: Kirk Cousins Won’t Sign Extension Before Franchise Deadline]
Clearly, a Mr. Romo Goes To Washington scenario is fraught with potential — and possibly deal-breaking — hurdles. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones almost certainly wouldn’t trade a viable quarterback to a division rival, and would seemingly be especially loathe to do so with Romo, with whom Jones has a personal relationship. Romo, for what it’s worth, expects to be cut rather dealt, but even a release could come with a tacit agreement that Romo not sign with an NFC East club like the Redskins.
A Romo acquisition would be preceded by a Cousins trade, per Cole, who reported last month that the 49ers would be among the clubs interested in bringing Cousins aboard. San Francisco would be open to trading the No. 2 overall pick to land Cousins, whom the Niners view as their Plan A at quarterback. For such a deal to go down, the Redskins would first to need to franchise Cousins in order to retain his rights, then work out a trade with the 49ers that would be officially consummated on March 9 (or anytime thereafter).
Romo, 36, is due base salaries of $14MM, $19.5MM, $20.5MM in each of the next three seasons, but none of that money is guaranteed. The Bills have mentioned as a potential suitor for Romo, as have the Broncos, while Denver, Houston, Arizona, and Kansas City have been identified as Romo’s preferred destinations.