The Washington Redskins face a second consecutive offseason with questions surrounding the future of its quarterback Kirk Cousins. Unlike last year, however, Cousins, on the strength of another productive season, commands nearly unchecked leverage in his bargaining position with the Redskins in 2017. Instead of ignoring this stark reality, the team would be wise to acknowledge the gravity of this conundrum, and, more importantly, that it was the party responsible for its creation.
With the franchise tag deadline looming, a quick fix is the best – and perhaps only – fix to this self-imposed quandary. That’s because, while a happy ending may very well result from the coming negotiations between player and team, a tag could very well spell another type of ending for the team’s former fourth-round draft choice.