How the Redskins got here: The Kirk Cousins revenge game

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LANDOVER, MD – NOVEMBER 15: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins hands the ball off to running back Alfred Morris #46 of the Washington Redskins in the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints at FedExField on November 15, 2015 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images) /

Cousins’ rise and the franchise tag dance

Following the 2015 season, Cousins was set to be an unrestricted free agent, as his rookie fourth-round deal had been a four-year deal, as is customary for non-first-round picks. And in season, there was some buzz that the Redskins were trying to sign him to a long-term extension.

However, the Redskins made a mistake. They low-balled Cousins a bit, offering him a deal that paid $19 million annually at a time where he would have made at least $20 million on the franchise tag.

Considering how well Cousins had performed as a first-year starter — he led the Redskins to the playoffs, led the league with a 69.8 completion percentage, and really did a lot to settle an uncertain quarterback room — selling low on himself made little sense. So, Cousins decided to bet on himself for another season, got slapped with the franchise tag, and decided to see where things went after that.

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Cousins made the Pro Bowl in 2016, his lone appearance to date, but the season itself was disappointing for Washington. They finished 8-7-1 and despite having chances to make it into the playoffs late in the season, Cousins performed poorly and couldn’t help carry the team to victory. He did have one of his customary hot stretches, in which he helped the team to upset the Green Bay Packers, but it wasn’t enough to deflect blame for the team’s lack of results.

Down the stretch, the Redskins had a couple of opportunities to make the playoffs. In Week 15, a win over the Carolina Panthers would have given them a stranglehold on a Wild Card spot. But they failed to show up in the Monday night dud. Two weeks later, they just had to win over the New York Giants to make the playoffs. Their offense, and Cousins, didn’t show, posting 10 points en route to a crushing defeat that meant no postseason in Washington.

The offseason following that disappointing December is where the contract situation got more untenable. The Redskins tried to make an offer to Cousins that was in the range of what he’d make on the franchise tag once again, $24 million a year for three years. This news came via the infamous Bruce Allen press conference in which he referred to Cousins as “Kurt” repeatedly.

Cousins once again elected to bet on himself, sensing that he could capitalize on the rising league-wide value on quarterbacks. For Cousins, now a proven starter, it just didn’t make a lot of sense to take a deal under the potential market value. And for the Redskins, it didn’t make too much sense to pay extra for a quarterback that hadn’t yet proven he could win in the postseason.

With Washington’s franchise-tag options limited in 2018, Cousins sensed that it would be his chance to truly earn the lucrative, long-term extension that he sought out.

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