The Redskins’ 5 Biggest Salary Cap Questions Heading Into 2016

How much will Kirk Cousins cost to re-sign?

This is by far the biggest question of the Redskins’ offseason. What does the future hold for Washington’s one-year wonder, and potential franchise quarterback? Well, it seems we’re headed toward Cousins staying with the Redskins, but how much will he cost and what means will the team use to keep him on the roster?

One of the recent rumors is that the Redskins could use the franchise tag on Cousins, which is estimated to pay him just short of $20 million in 2016. GM Scot McCloughan has made it clear that they’d like to re-sign him to a long-term deal, but there’s no telling how negotiations could go. Cousins’ team could be looking for way more money (especially of the guaranteed variety) than the Redskins are willing to dish out.

There’s a chance Washington could convince him to take a team-friendly deal similar to the ones that Colin Kaepernick and Andy Dalton signed in 2014. Both deals are front-loaded, with built-in “opt outs” for their respective teams that allow them to suffer minimal financial burdens if they choose to sever ties after a couple of years.

Is that what the future holds for Cousins, or will they just pay him almost $20 million like the franchise quarterback he appeared to be in 2015? Or maybe the franchise tag is in his future?

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