When the Washington Redskins fired former general manager Scot McCloughan on the first day of free agency back in March, it threw everyone for a loop. It wasn’t only that McCloughan was let go, it was the timing of the firing.
Washington would end up going through free agency and the draft without a general manager. In fact, president Bruce Allen and senior VP Doug Williams seem to be the face of the front office as the 2017 season approaches. In short, Washington doesn’t have a general manager to run business.
We’re not too sure whether this has impacted negotiations with franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins. What we do know is that Cousins himself is not a lock to remain with the Redskins beyond the upcoming season. In fact, reports continue to surface that he wants to join his former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco (more on that here).
With a few days remaining before the deadline to sign Cousins to an extension, the Redskins are in somewhat of a quagmire.
That’s only magnified by this report indicating that Cousins wants the Redskins’ front office to prove itself before he signs on long term.
Barring sudden change in negotiations, one thing QB Kirk Cousins wants to see is how the new front office set up works for Washington.
— Jason Cole (@JasonCole62) July 13, 2017
The issue here is that the two sides can’t agree to an extension beyond Monday’s deadline. Playing under the franchise tag for a second consecutive season, there’s a darn good chance Cousins hits the open market in March. If the team’s brass has not proven itself by then, he could very well walk.
Cousins, 28, is coming off a 2016 campaign that saw him put up over 4,900 yards with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions en route to his first Pro Bowl appearance.
For Cousins, it seems to be more about organizational fit than money itself. Whether that’s just the quarterback playing the PR game remains to be seen. But it doesn’t look like we’re any closer to resolutaiton here than we were back in March.