National Football League

Redskins place the franchise tag on QB Kirk Cousins

Published Feb. 28, 2017 1:50 p.m. ET

Dan Graf

In a move that has been telegraphed almost since they did the same thing a year ago, the Washington Redskins have placed the franchise tag on quarterback Kirk Cousins.

His agent, Mike McCartney, tweeted the news Tuesday.

https://twitter.com/MikeMcCartney7/status/836643050529112068

Cousins, 28, played last season on the tag, which was worth $20 million, and now will have until July 16 to negotiate a long-term deal with the Redskins before his 2017 tag takes effect. The value of this tag is expected to be about $24 million, and a year from now Washington likely would only have the option of using a transition tag on Cousins in order to keep him. That tag would allow the Redskins to match any offers he received on the open market but would, for the first time, carry the risk of him leaving the team.

Cousins, of course, has put up massive numbers with the Redskins in his first two full seasons as a starter after taking over for Robert Griffin III. He led Washington to the playoffs in 2015 with 4,166 passing yards and 29 TD throws and followed that up with 4,917 yards and 25 TDs in 2016.