Redskins Intend To Sign QB Kirk Cousins To A “Blockbuster Deal,” Will Franchise Him If Needed

Albert Breer of NFL Media reports that intend to sign QB Kirk Cousins to a “blockbuster deal” before the deadline to franchise players in early March.

However, if talks don’t progress towards an agreement, a source tell Breer that they are “fully prepared” to franchise Cousins.

According to Breer, the Redskins weren’t planning on using the franchise tag on Cousins earlier in the year, because it was likely to run them over $19 million. But it sounds like they focused on doing whatever it takes to prevent him from testing the open market.

A source explained the situation to Breer as: “He’s not getting out of the building.”

Breer points to Andy Dalton‘s six-year, $96 million deal with the Bengals as a potential starting point for the two sides in contract talks.

Cousins, 27, is in the final year of his four-year, $2,572,688 rookie contract that included a $472,688 signing bonus. He’ll make a base salary of $660,000 for the 2015 season before becoming an unrestricted free agent during the offseason.

This season, Cousins has thrown for 4,166 yards while completing 69.8 percent of his passes to go along with 29  touchdowns and 11 interceptions over the course of 16 games. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 16 quarterback out of 37 qualifying players.

We’ll have more regarding a potential extension for Cousins as the news is available.