Earlier on Tuesday, Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins opened up about his preference to remain in D.C. while noting full well that he could sign with another team in free agency.
If this one report is true, Cousins might not have that option. According to Broncos beat writer Cecil Lammey, there’s buzz out there that Washington will place the transition tag on Cousins. The team would then look to trade him.
Broncos beat writer Cecil Lammey on Denver pursuit of Kirk Cousins: "It sounds like the Washington #Redskins will not let Kirk Cousins go without getting something for him in return. The buzz is that Washington will transition tag Cousins then put him on the trade block."
— Rich Tandler (@TandlerNBCS) January 30, 2018
Cousins has played under the franchise tag each of the past two seasons. If the Redskins were to go in that direction again, it would cost them nearly $35 million. The transition tag itself would cost less than $29 million or the average of the 10 highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL.
By placing said tag on Cousins, the Redskins would be given a seven-day window to match any offer another team throws his way. Though, the team would not receive any compensation should said offer not be matched.
This could very well be Washington’s way of making sure it gets some compensation for Cousins should he elect to sign elsewhere. What this compensation might look like remains to be seen.
We do know that almost two handful of teams will be in the running to add Cousins during free agency. That’s surely to make him the highest-paid player in the NFL.