A contract extension for Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins seems unlikely, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. Washington had until 4:00 PM ET on July 15th to reach an agreement to the signal caller who led them to the NFC East title last season.
A failure to communicate
Florio said in his NBCSports.com article: "Per a source with knowledge of the situation, nothing is happening by way of negotiations between Cousins and the team, and nothing will be happening. The two sides won’t be reaching a long-term deal before the July 15 deadline."
According to Florio, Washington must wait until next offseason to sign the former Michigan State Spartan to an extension if a deal is not reached by the deadline. Florio believes the point of disagreement starts with the franchise tag, from NBCSports.com: "The divide is driven by the realities of the franchise tag. By already committing $19.95 million to Cousins under the franchise tag for 2016, Washington will have to give him a 20-percent raise or let him hit the open market in March 2017. That’s $23.94 million for 2017. So the starting point for negotiations on a long-term deal is clear: $19.95 million for 2016 plus $23.94 million for 2017, for a total of $43.89 million over two years."
According to John Keim of ESPN, Cousins is looking for a significant pay raise and long-term security while the Washington front office is taking a wait-and-see approach: "If he plays well, combined with a rising cap for a second consecutive offseason, Cousins could command at least $40 million in guarantees. Combined with this season’s tag number, that would give Cousins nearly $60 million in guaranteed income. If he signs a deal by Friday’s deadline, Cousins likely would receive around $40 million in guaranteed money -- but only if the Redskins increase their offer. Do the math. Even a mediocre season could result in at least $20 million guaranteed next year, in which case Cousins would receive at least the same amount of money that he’s supposedly passing up now. Or more. Therefore, Cousins is sort of gambling but he’s doing so from a position of strength. His side is well aware of this fact."..."For the Redskins, they’d like to see more from Cousins before paying him an average salary that would make him one of the top-10 highest-paid quarterbacks. He’s started one full season, has yet to beat a team with a winning record (in games he’s started) and has no playoff wins."
Cousins betting on himself
After unseating Robert Griffin III as the starting quarterback last season, Cousins finished the season with 29 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions, including a 23/3 TD/INT ratio from week seven to the end of the season. Cousins threw for 4,166 yards, led the NFL in completion percentage, and finished with a 70.05 total QBR according to Pro Football Reference. Cousins play led Washington to a 9-7 record and an NFC East division championship. Washington lost to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card game.
Washington has a slightly tougher schedule this season than last (Cousins and Washington feasted on losing teams last year to make the playoffs), so Cousins' gamble could pay off and may be in for a bigger payday next season.