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First real "move" of the offseason:

Despite holding out hope for an agreement on a long-term deal, the Washington Redskins and Kirk Cousins have failed to do so, and in turn, the team will use the franchise tag by today’s 4 p.m. deadline to ensure that it doesn’t lose the quarterback on the free agent market, which opens next week.

A person with knowledge of the situation said that Washington will use the non-exclusive franchise tag on Cousins. The designation means that Washington for now has committed to pay Cousins $19.953 million for the 2016. Outside teams can talk to Cousins’s agent about the possibility of signing him. If they extend him an offer that Washington chooses not to match, the Redskins would then receive two first-round picks from that team as compensation.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/football-insider/wp/2016/03/01/redskins-to-use-franchise-tag-to-retain-the-rights-to-kirk-cousins/

I still think they get a longterm deal done, but either way he's going to be the starting QB this season.

If he gets a multi-year deal, my hope is that they frontload it and it's one of those "4 year deals" that's really 2. I don't think he's the long term answer, but we have no other choice.

I am not sure if the Redskins have tried but they should of offered him a multi-year deal that is full of incentives. That way if Cousins turns out to be a bust, the signing won't be that hard to swallow.

lastemp3ror wrote:I am not sure if the Redskins have tried but they should of offered him a multi-year deal that is full of incentives. That way if Cousins turns out to be a bust, the signing won't be that hard to swallow.

They probably tried it, but there's no reason for Cousins to do that IMO. He's going to get $19.5M guaranteed from the franchise tag, so the guarantees in a longterm deal will have to proportionally exceed that for it to be with his while to sign it. And if the Skins aren't willing to do that, you also have to figure that another team would just because so many teams need a QB.

With the cap going up significantly next year and the cost of QB's that much higher, don't be surprised if next season, the franchise tag costs more like 27 mil. And that's why Cousins (and his agent) is not going to be anxious to sign a long-term deal now. If he has another good season, he can get significantly more next year.

Ruzious wrote:With the cap going up significantly next year and the cost of QB's that much higher, don't be surprised if next season, the franchise tag costs more like 27 mil. And that's why Cousins (and his agent) is not going to be anxious to sign a long-term deal now. If he has another good season, he can get significantly more next year.

Another good point. Man, do the Skins have any leverage at all? Not looking like it.

When Sam Bradford signs for 36 mil over 2 years with 26 mil guaranteed, you know you gotsta pay for QB's, and it's just going to increase.

Am I the only one who want's the skins to draft Derrick Henry in round 1 ? ? ? The dude is a man and is going to be Matt Forte V2. We need a star back! if he would be there late round 2 then I'm all for waiting but I think grabbing him at 21 is not that far of a stretch.

gambitx777 wrote:Am I the only one who want's the skins to draft Derrick Henry in round 1 ? ? ? The dude is a man and is going to be Matt Forte V2. We need a star back! if he would be there late round 2 then I'm all for waiting but I think grabbing him at 21 is not that far of a stretch.

He's super-talented - but I see him more in the mold of Brandon Jacobs because he's a monster at near 250 lbs. The problem with him for the Skins is he's not much of a pass-catcher, Jacobs had that problem because he couldn't cut back - so every pass pattern he had to round out - which just didn't work. But as a pure runner, Henry is going to be really good. I wouldn't mind taking him in the 2nd round.

Ruzious wrote:

gambitx777 wrote:Am I the only one who want's the skins to draft Derrick Henry in round 1 ? ? ? The dude is a man and is going to be Matt Forte V2. We need a star back! if he would be there late round 2 then I'm all for waiting but I think grabbing him at 21 is not that far of a stretch.

He's super-talented - but I see him more in the mold of Brandon Jacobs because he's a monster at near 250 lbs. The problem with him for the Skins is he's not much of a pass-catcher, Jacobs had that problem because he couldn't cut back - so every pass pattern he had to round out - which just didn't work. But as a pure runner, Henry is going to be really good. I wouldn't mind taking him in the 2nd round.

true but we do have the pass game to complement a heavy rusher like that, and maybe he can learn to catch a few boot legs just because they did not run the play for him much does not mean he can not pick it up along the way. We need to build a better running game! I will gladly take him round 2 I jsut don't know if he sticks around that long.

Welcome back, Captain Kirk!

The smart play -- more accurately, the only one -- by the Washington Redskins was to keep Kirk Cousins off the market, using the franchise tag to keep the quarterback around. And the smart play by Cousins is to sign it quickly.

He’ll do so Thursday morning, which will allow both sides to move forward. The lone concern is whether they can agree on a long-term deal by the July 15 deadline. But at least there’s no more drama surrounding this situation, at least about if he’ll stay in Washington (signing it also keeps the leverage on Cousins' side; he's now guaranteed of a strong payday so unless the Redskins make a stronger offer he's content playing under the tag).

http://espn.go.com/blog/washington-redskins/post/_/id/23836/by-signing-franchise-tender-kirk-cousins-avoids-drama

Can't blame a buy for betting on himself, and now the Skins know exactly where they stand with FA dollars.

More of the QB picture coming into focus. Seems like they want to move on from the Colt McCoy backup era? From WireTap:

The Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys and Washington are expected to pursue a trade for Nick Foles if the Los Angeles Rams make him available.

LyricalRico wrote:More of the QB picture coming into focus. Seems like they want to move on from the Colt McCoy backup era? From WireTap:

The Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys and Washington are expected to pursue a trade for Nick Foles if the Los Angeles Rams make him available.

I thought Foles signed a very large contract last year. I would think acquiring him would be cap cost prohibitive if we're trying to save cap costs. But maybe his contract is structured so the Rams take the hit if he's traded? Either way, I'd stick with Colt. He's ideal as a backup. They should draft the next Cousins around the 4th round and develop him slowly, imo.

Was Franchising Cousins the right move? I would have Transitioned him. If I have the rules right, the only benefit of Franchising over Transitioning is that you get compensation (2 1sts) if another team signs the player and you don't match. Skins would have to pay Cousins 2.5 mil less under Trans. Maybe that's not much, but what you pay him now is going to be the starting point for negotiations - at least it will be for Cousins' agent. And that's absolutely fair - since it was the Skins that caused the 20 mil figure by franching him. I think they'd have a MUCH easier time negotiating a long-term deal working around the trans tag.

CUT: Jason Hatcher, Darrel Young, Jeron Johnson, Dashon Goldson and RG 3

Knighton has been told he's not coming back.

Chris Long will come in for a visit tomorrow.

Rafael122 wrote:CUT: Jason Hatcher, Darrel Young, Jeron Johnson, Dashon Goldson and RG 3

Knighton has been told he's not coming back.

Chris Long will come in for a visit tomorrow.

I was not expecting Young and Goldson to get cut, but it probably makes sense. They didn't seem invested in keeping the FB position. I still expect that Young will be starting for someone else next season. And Goldson - even though he's a captain who filled in the safety position as well as anyone they've had in years - he's 32 and not athletic enough to handle the position anymore. Can't be surprised about the others. We clearly need bodies on the D Line now. Skins will have to feature defense in the draft.

Ruzious wrote:I was not expecting Young and Goldson to get cut, but it probably makes sense. They didn't seem invested in keeping the FB position. I still expect that Young will be starting for someone else next season.

Confirming that, DY was on with Doc/BMitch today and said they actually told him told they were moving away from the fullback position. He sounded genuinely impacted by no longer being a Redskin. Wish him all the best!

Based on the cuts, I'd say defensive line and safety will be a major priority this offseason. I'd say safety is addressed in free agency, the d-line class is deep this year.

Rafael122 wrote:Based on the cuts, I'd say defensive line and safety will be a major priority this offseason. I'd say safety is addressed in free agency, the d-line class is deep this year.

Seems like they might sign Chris Long, but agree that much of the help up front could come from the draft since there seem to be more draft options there than in the secondary.

What do folks think about splurging for Eric Weddle at safety? I've always liked him, and the rebuilt secondary will need a leader. But I also understand that an expensive vet might not prudent at this stage of the rebuild.

Long's an OLB in the 34. I'd MUCH rather re-sign Junior Galette than sign Long. Long's old and hasn't been productive in several years.

I'd definitely be interested in Weddle - but only at a reasonable price - especially considering he'll be 31 soon. I don't see the Skins paying major dollars on any veteran free agent.

LyricalRico wrote:

Rafael122 wrote:Based on the cuts, I'd say defensive line and safety will be a major priority this offseason. I'd say safety is addressed in free agency, the d-line class is deep this year.

Seems like they might sign Chris Long, but agree that much of the help up front could come from the draft since there seem to be more draft options there than in the secondary.

What do folks think about splurging for Eric Weddle at safety? I've always liked him, and the rebuilt secondary will need a leader. But I also understand that an expensive vet might not prudent at this stage of the rebuild.

I think Scot is looking at guys between 25-29, maybe older if he thinks they still have some gas left in the tank. George lloka is a guy the team is probably interested in.