The Washington Redskins are currently at a crossroads with Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins. Coming off yet another stellar season, Cousins is slated to become a free agent in March.
Though, Washington pretty much holds all the chips here. If the two sides are not able to come to an agreement on a long-term deal here in the next few weeks, the Skins will likely place the dreaded franchise tag on Cousins, at which point he’s expected to sign it.
That doesn’t necessarily change the fact that Cousins is expected to receive a huge long-term deal here in the not-so-distant future. According to ESPN’s John Keim, there’s actually a good chance that Cousins will receive a contract larger than the five-year, $122.9 million deal Andrew Luck signed with the Indianapolis Colts this past June.
Keim goes on to indicate that Cousins might not receive the same amount of guaranteed cash as Luck, but his annual average could top the former No. 1 overall pick.
While opinions surely do differ on Cousins, there’s little doubt that he’s performed at a higher clip than his 2012 NFL Draft counterpart recently. This past season saw Cousins lead his team to an 8-7-1 record, Washington’s second consecutive winning season. He also threw for over 4,900 yards with 29 total touchdowns and just 12 interceptions en route to his first Pro Bowl appearance.
Whether Washington is the team that pays Cousins this ridiculous amount of cash remains to be seen. There’ a scenario in play that his former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, now the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, could make a play for the former mid-round pick.