Dallas Cowboys

Scot McCloughan reportedly seeking long-term deal for Kirk Cousins

Published Jan. 27, 2016 3:20 p.m. ET

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Well, the Redskins obviously want to avoid giving Kirk Cousins the franchise tag this offseason.

According to the Washington Post's Master Tesfatsion, Washington Redskins' general manager Scot McCloughan is seeking a long-term deal for Cousins.

McCloughan said he would like to get a long term deal done with Kirk Cousins #Redskins
— Master Tesfatsion (@MasterTes) January 27, 2016

Cousins becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

In Cousins' first full year as Washington's starting quarterback, he threw for 4,166 yards and 29 touchdowns. That's the most touchdown passes in Redskins' franchise history since Joe Theismann threw 29 in 1983, and the most passing yards in a single season in franchise history. In addition to his overall production, Cousins rushed for another five touchdowns, behind only Cam Newton's 10 on the year, and Cousins' 69.8 completion percentage was the highest in the NFL.

That gives McCloughan confidence in committing to Cousins long-term. But what will the contract terms ultimately be?

That's yet to be determined. But ESPN's John Keim's early estimate is that Cousins can field $17 million per year.

But Cousins has all of the power here. He's ultimately a free agent, and he can test the free agency pool if he would like to.

If the Redskins can't manage to sign Cousins to a long-term deal by March 7, they will be forced to utilize the franchise tag on Cousins. That would pay Cousins somewhere between $19 and $20 million, according to Tesfatsion.

That's not exactly ideal for the Redskins. Not only would that force the Redskins to make some cuts, as they will only have just $29 million in cap space (once they inevitably cut Robert Griffin). So if they franchise tag Cousins, that leaves roughly $10 million in cap space for the rest of the roster. And not only does a franchise tag hurt the Redskins' cap situation, but there's no guarantee that Cousins would return the next season.

A long-term deal is in the Redskins' best interest, and there is no doubt that is exactly what McCloughan would like to get done. But it will be very interesting to not only see this situation unfold in the coming weeks, but what the final results will end up being.

Tommy Chalk writes about the NFL and NHL for FOX Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @Tommy_Chalk