Quarterback Kirk Cousins has received the franchise tag from the Washington Redskins. He had been the star quarterback for the Washington Redskins for the last two seasons, and it looks like he’ll be sticking around for at least one more, as the man reported himself.
Tag! I’m it!
— Kirk Cousins (@KirkCousins8) February 28, 2017
The Washington Redskins Franchise Tag Kirk Cousins
Cousins was drafted by the Redskins in the fourth round (102nd overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft out of Michigan State. He spent the next few years sitting behind Robert Griffin III. The Redskins drafted Griffin with the second overall pick in the same draft.
While Griffin went on to win the NFL Rookie of the Year that season, Cousins continued to ride the bench. He started just one game that year, and it was against the Cleveland Browns.
Griffin led Washington to the playoffs in 2012, but the Redskins fell to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card. Also in that game, Griffin suffered a leg injury. After that injury, he was never the same.
After a 16 touchdown and 12 interception performance in 2013, Griffin threw just four touchdowns and six interceptions in seven games started in 2014. He was benched and Cousins won the starting job in 2015. He instantly showed his star power. He threw for 4,166 yards and 29 touchdowns in his first year as a full-time starter.
The Redskins slapped the franchise tag on Cousins for the 2016 season. That gave him a one-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $19.953 million. He finished the year with 4,917 yards passing and 25 touchdowns.
Unfortunately for the Redskins, Cousins’ performance wasn’t enough. The team was eliminated from playoff contention on the final week of the 2016 season.
There were multiple reports that Cousins wouldn’t be playing in Washington moving forward and that he’s unhappy playing within the organization, but it looks like they’ll have one more year to sort things out.
