Contract Talks Between Redskins & Kirk Cousins Picking Up

Adam Schefter of ESPN, citing league sources, reports that there has been “an improved, encouraging tone” regarding contract talks between the Redskins and franchise QB Kirk Cousins.

Schefter admits that this doesn’t mean the two sides will be able to reach an agreement on a long-term deal before the July deadline, but it’s at least encouraging that there appears to be a shift in the talks.

One reason for the positive outlook, according to Schefter, is that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has gotten involved in the situation and made it known how much they want to re-sign Cousins.

Washington met face-to-face with Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney, for the first time in two years last month and the two sides are continuing to work on a long-term deal. In fact, Schefter says that there’s now a belief that even if a deal doesn’t get completed by the deadline, it’s possible an agreement could be in play next year.

“There’s no doubt it’s been more positive lately,” a source familiar with the talks tells Schefter. “Everything has been much more positive in the past several months.”

Cousins, 28, is a former fourth-round pick of the Redskins back in 2012. He played out the final year of his four-year, $2,572,688 rookie contract that included a $472,688 signing bonus when Washington elected to use the franchise tag on Cousins that paid him $19.953 million fully guaranteed for the 2016 season.

The Redskins franchised him for the second year in a row this past February and he’s now set to make $23.94 million fully guaranteed for the 2017 season.

In 2016, Cousins has appeared in all 16 games and thrown for 4,917 yards while completing 67 percent of his passes to go along with 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 8 quarterback out of 36 qualifying players.

We’ll have more regarding a new deal for Cousins as the news is available.