Kirk Cousins just wanted a long-term contract with the Washington Redskins after proving he could be their franchise quarterback. It didn't happen, and the Redskins used their Franchise Tag on him last year. This year, Cousins and the Redskins still couldn't reach an agreement, so they hit him with the franchise tag again. With that finished, Cousins now holds all the cards when it comes to his future in the NFL.
The cost of the Washington Redskins franchise tag
The Washington Redskins initially didn't want to pay Kirk Cousins more than $15 million a year for a long-term contract to play quarterback for the franchise.
Instead, the team placed the franchise tag on him and paid him $21 million in 2016. This year, they placed the franchise tag on him again and will pay him $23.94 million. In other words, instead of giving Cousins a multi-year contract, they have paid him $44 million to just play under the tag for two seasons. If they tried to use the tag again next year, it would cost an additional $30 million.
Kirk Cousins will decide where he plays in 2018
There is no way that the Washington Redskins will pay Kirk Cousins $30 million in 2018. This means that 2017 will probably be the last year that Cousins plays in Washington. Unless a miracle occurs and the Redskins open up their pocketbooks, they will have to find a new quarterback after this season comes to an end.
Kirk has already made it clear that he isn't happy with the franchise tag and he is now the first quarterback in NFL history to get it twice.
Where will Kirk Cousins play next NFL season?
With the franchise tag no longer handcuffing him to the Washington Redskins, there should be plenty of teams looking for an upgrade at quarterback in 2018.
The biggest NFL rumor right now is that Kirk Cousins would love to head to the San Francisco 49ers now that his former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is the head coach there now. Shanahan worked wonders in Atlanta on their way to the Super Bowl in 2016 and Cousins could finally find the success he always wanted - and maybe a team that actually wanted to invest in him as well.
