After a month filled with uncommonfranchise-tagintrigue and relentless trade rumors, the Washington Redskins are presenting a unified front in their renewed commitment to Kirk Cousins.
In a Tuesday interview with 980-AM in Washington, team president Bruce Allen emphasized that the organization has reached a "100 percent" consensus about the desire to sign Cousins to a long-term contract.
Allen added that the Redskins have had some "very good discussions" with the quarterback's camp, but acknowledged that these deals are often delayed until closer to the July 15 deadline for franchise players to reach new agreements.
"It'll take some time," Allen explained. "We've obviously proposed, and we want a long-term marriage with him."
Contrary to conventional wisdom that the tag would be a prohibitive measure for the Redskins again in 2018, Allen views the potential $28 million transition tag or $34.5 million third-time franchise tag as leverage that the "system allows" for next offseason.
"Really we have him under contract for this year and an option for next year," Allen said.
Allen went on to bristle at the notion that a third consecutive franchise tag costing the organization nearly $80 million in total would be a worst-case scenario.
"That's not the worst thing for the franchise," Allen stated. "We want what's right for Kirk. We want what's right for the Washington Redskins. ... We have plenty of time to work on that."
Less than a month ago, many league observers believed Cousins was ultimately bound for a reunion with former Washington offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. Now there's reason to believe the relationship between Cousins and the Redskins is repairable.
"I felt very much supported," Cousins said of his mid-March meeting with Allen and owner Daniel Synder, "and felt the owner and president of the team want me to be the quarterback there and to be the quarterback there for a long time."
Allen recently told CSN Mid-Atlantic that he's spoken with Cousins nearly a dozen times this offseason, and the two "get to laugh" at the trade rumors.
If Allen and Synder can pull off an extension by the mid-July deadline, it will go a long way toward stabilizing a franchise that has found itself back in the spotlightfor all of the wrong reasons since the league year opened earlier this month.
