Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins failed. Their objective: to sign off on a long-term contract extension for the quarterback before the franchise tag deadline for deals passed on Monday afternoon. Well, the deadline came and went and no deal was agreed to, leaving the future of the quarterback in the nation's capital murky. In the process, Cousins made some contractual NFL history.
First NFL quarterback to...
Last year, Cousins took a rare step for a quarterback: he played under the franchise tag. It doesn't happen often because the franchise tag forces NFL teams to pay in line with the top salaries at the position in the league.
If teams don't want to pay top dollar for their quarterback, they'll lock them up to a long-term extension. But Washington decided that they needed another year to evaluate whether or not Cousins was really the long-term solution for the team.
Franchise deadline comes and goes without new deal for Kirk Cousins, who now becomes 1st QB to play 2 straight seasons under franchise tag.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 17, 2017
Cousins is now the first quarterback in NFL history to spend two consecutive seasons under the franchise tag. He'll play under the $23.9 million tag for the year. There are reports - including a statement from the Redskins themselves - that the team offered a record-setting deal to the quarterback.
There is some dispute, however, about how much guaranteed money was tied to those contract offers. Either way, Cousins will play out one more year on the franchise tag before the murky future needs to be settled once and for all.
The future of Cousins with Washington
Negotiations are now closed between Cousins and Washington until the end of the NFL season.
Every week, the same questions will hound both sides about why a deal wasn't consummated and what it means for the quarterback's long-term future with the team. Barring some sort of catastrophe, the two sides will be in the same situation at the end of the year that they were in now - there will just be less options on the table.
Cousins reportedly isn't against signing a long-term deal with the team. He once dined with owner Dan Snyder, which reportedly made him more eager to stay in Washington. It's all about the numbers, though. There are plenty of teams in the NFL in desperate need of a quarterback who would be willing to pay top dollar for Cousins. The New York Jets and Cleveland Browns immediately come to mind. If the Redskins aren't careful, they could let their potential franchise quarterback slip through their hands, despite his desire to stick around.