Written by Mike Florio at NBCSports.com
As various franchise-tagged players prepare to hammer out long-term contracts with negotiations driven by the deadline of 4:00 p.m. ET on July 15, one franchise-tagged player won’t have to worry about playing beat the clock.
For Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins, the deadline is irrelevant; an impasse exists that won’t be broken in the next eight days.
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.
By rule, Washington and Cousins will not be able to sign a new contract until after the 2016 regular season ends.
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.
By all indications, Washington wants to see Cousins repeat his performance of 2016 before breaking the bank beyond $19.95 million. However, a year from now the starting point becomes $23.94 million for 2017 plus a 44-percent raise for 2018, or $34.47 million. That’s $58.41 million for two years, if Cousins plays this year like he did last year.
Already, Cousins has beaten the odds, parlaying a $660,000 salary from 2015 into $19.95 million for 2016. To his credit, he’s using the system to his advantage and not accepting less than what the franchise tag formula would dictate.
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