We have heard plenty of rumors about the potential future of Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins, but team president Bruce Allen says there have been no trade discussions. When specifically asked if Cousins will be Washington’s quarterback in 2017, he said, "That's why we franchised him, yes.”
Allen is in Phoenix for the owners’ meetings, and he told CSN Mid-Atlantic that he and Cousins have laughed at all the rumors. Allen said he has spoken with Cousins a dozen times this offseason, and Allen is “hopeful and confident” they will be able to get a deal done by July 15. That is the deadline for franchise players to agree to an extension. If a deal is not done by then, they have to wait until after the season.
There has been a lot of speculation about Cousins’ future, with reports suggesting he wants to reunite with Kyle Shanahan in Santa Clara. There were reports of a trade demand, but Cousins shot that down, saying he first learned of it while at a shoe store. Suffice to say, it was a wild couple weeks that has since settled down.
Allen said the team has an option for 2018, but given some of the pricing, it seems unlikely the 2018 offseason ends with Cousins not signed to a long-term deal. A third franchise tag would require a 44 percent pay raise, which means Cousins would earn upwards of $35 million. If the team used the transition tag, he’d earn $28 million, but it opens the door to a long-term contract without requiring any draft pick compensation. Odds are good something happens to land him a long-term contract somewhere.