Franchise tag: The ******** gave Cousins the franchise tag in 2016, but the option remains on the table in the coming year.
Franchise tag players can be designated between Feb. 15 and March 1. If the ******** give Cousins the franchise tag, it would be a one-year contract for $23.94 million.
A third season under the tag is considered all but impossible, as the one-year salary would rise to $34.47 million.
Cousins indicated that if the ******** want him to play another year under the franchise tag, at the $23.94 million price, he won’t hold out or object.
“Much like the first year, I'd do it the same way,” he said Monday on 106.7 The Fan in Washington. “I don't have the option to play anywhere else, so there's no point in dragging it out or pouting about it. It's a great opportunity. They're bringing you back for a reason, it sends a strong message, and I have no reason to fight that. And essentially, I have no voice in the matter, anyway.”
Cousins has the option to solicit offers from other teams before signing the franchise tag offer, but if a team signed Cousins away, it would have to send Washington its next two first-round draft picks.
