Kirk Cousins, quarterback, Washington Redskins
Where to begin with this one? Cousins ultimately decided to sign the franchise tag Washington handed him for a second consecutive year.
He did so after months of speculation that the Pro Bowler wanted to play for his former offensive coordinator in San Francisco with the 49ers. Rumors that still suggest that he will end up with Kyle Shanahan in Northern California following the 2017 season.
There’s definitely a lot going on here. Cousins has reportedly indicated he’s unwilling to discuss a long-term deal with Washington as long as Bruce Allen is the team’s president. He’s also allegedly told those around him he wants to play for the 49ers.
All of this is out of Cousins’ hands until the end of the 2017 season. Right now, his focus has to be on performing at a high level on the field.
Coming off another tremendous season that saw him put up nearly 5,000 yards with 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, Cousins will be in line for a huge payday next March. He simply needs to continue progressing on the field, proving naysayers in D.C. wrong in the process. It’s surely something he’s done over the course of the past two years now.
The interesting dynamic here is that Washington could technically place the franchise tag on Cousins once again next March. Though, by league rules, that would likely cost the team north of $35 million in 2018. Talk about a huge one-year payday.
The likelier scenario here is that Washington either signs Cousins to an extension before then or decides to trade him to another team. If not, the 49ers will surely come calling to pay him one of the richest contracts for a quarterback in league history. The ball is almost literally in Cousins’ court here. And with another strong performance in 2017, he’ll definitely be paid like a star he thinks he is. Whether that’s with Washington, San Francisco or another team remains to be seen.