The Kirk Cousins saga will likely stretch on for at least another calendar year, with the Washington Redskins quarterback set to play under the franchise tag once again.
The rumors swirled this offseason that Cousins wanted out of Washington, to join former coach Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. While the quarterback has said all the right things about rumors and previously noted he isn't expecting a draft-day trade when the NFL gathers in Philadelphia next Thursday, he told The MMQB's Peter King recently that he just wants to be wanted.
"I want to be where I'm wanted, and that's what I've said all along," Cousins said, via the Washington Post. "When a team is willing to step up and commit to me fully for the long haul, then why would I want to be anywhere else? I mean, this is an incredible fan base. It's one of the top five fan bases in the history of the NFL. It goes all the way back to the early 1930s. There's three Super Bowl trophies, there's multiple Hall of Famers, there's high character players still living in the area -- Darrell Green, Art Monk, guys that we can learn from.
"I love this organization and want to see us get back to those glory days that they had with Coach (Joe) Gibbs in the '80s and early '90s. And I want to add to that great history. There's really no reason to want to look elsewhere. It's a matter of wanting to be where you're wanted, and I think that's what all of us want -- not just in football but in any walk of life."
Cousins should start an Emo band. His first hit song can be "Wanting to be where you're wanted," followed closely by "Don't you like that?"
How much money it would take the Redskins to prove to Cousins they want him remains a question. The 28-year-old quarterback reiterated that he's not fretting about his situation, noting he's been doubted every step of his football career only to overcome the negative assumptions about his ability.
"Whatever happens, happens, and I think for me, I play better when I feel like I'm still ascending the mountain," he said. "I think I play better when people say 'keep showing us what you've got, keep showing us.' And whatever's going to get me to play at a high level is what I want to do. So I'm okay with it, and we're just gonna keep going year by year."
Year by year is how the Redskins have been paying the quarterback, who is set to make a hefty $23.944 million in 2017. With Bruce Allen not ruling out using the franchise tag for a third straight season in 2018, Cousins could have to wait a while longer for his long-term contract. It's a wait he sounds comfortable embracing -- while he swims in the piles of cash from these two years.
