Redskins put franchise tag on QB Cousins

Today was the deadline for National Football League teams to use the Franchise tag was today and the Redskins have chosen this route.

The Redskins placing the franchise tag on Cousins doesn’t come as a surprise, as almost everyone expected them to do so. Outside teams can talk to Cousins’s agent about the possibility of signing him.

Instead of letting Cousins hit the market next week, the Redskins now have Cousins for at least one more season and could still sign him to a long-term contract extension. Cousins has been good for around half a season and won a bad NFC East for Washington in 2015, so the team’s willingness to pony up to that degree says more about the quarterback market than it does about Cousins’ performance previous year. The designation means that Washington for now has committed to pay Cousins $19.953 million for the 2016.

Without the threat of lost draft picks, quarterback-needy teams like the Cleveland Browns or Houston Texans will have no negative ramifications if they choose to negotiate with Cousins if he is given the transition tag.

A transition tag allows the player to negotiate with other teams, but his current club has the right of first refusal to match any offer. They have until July 15th in order to work out a long-term deal with him.

If Cousins is given the transition tag, the door is open for another team to either irresponsibly overpay the quarterback or create a contract that is hard for Washington to deal with.

The tag guarantees Cousins a $19.95 million salary this season.

The Cousins and Redskins contract situation reminds me of Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

This is precisely why the transition tag was never a serious option – same deal as the non-exclusive tag except the Redskins wouldn’t get any picks back if he signed elsewhere. Considering Cousins was a career backup until recently, it’s an incredible haul.