The FINAL Kirk Cousins Saga thread. 5.0

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by MTK

If the team applies tag we’re on the hook for his $34M. It’s just not a realistic situation, we wouldn’t be able to make any moves until he was traded. Honestly I don’t even know why this story is being floated out there since it’s just not plausible.

Yeah exactly this makes no sense. The second the tag is applied he counts $34M, taking us from $36M in space currently to $2M.

So on March 14 when free agency opens, we wouldn’t be able to make a single FA move, not resigning Zach Brown, not Breeland, heck probably can’t even fit Will Compton under that cap.

So the only approach for the Skins would be to apply the tag on February 20, then try to trade him, and then if he’s not traded by March 14 they would have to remove the tag and set him free.

That cap situation makes their position incredibly transparent. If I can look at their cap and understand that they would lose out on Zach Brown and every other FA, so can John Elway and every other GM.

So that’s the Redskins’ position, let’s think about Kirk’s. In the past when tagged, he has signed it right away and played on it. In order to be traded, he would have to sign the tag. If he doesn’t sign it, he can’t be traded (CBA rules).

If he’s traded he would have less say in where he goes. So of course financially, he’d rather get to free agency where a bidding war could ensue. Then, if money’s not as important, he may decide he’d rather be in a winning spot. In such a case, he wouldn’t want a team like Denver to give up pieces it could use to surround him with talent. So being traded really is the last thing he’d want. The only reason for him to play ball with the Skins is out of the goodness of his heart. He won’t do that.

It’s incredibly transparent this is going nowhere. As long as Kirk doesn’t sign the tag, the Skins can’t trade him, and thus the Skins get no free agency. They will apply the tag on Feb 20 and see if he signs it. If he does, then they’re in business and a trade becomes likely. But I think there is no way he will sign it. He’ll wait them out, and they’ll pull the tag off of him.

It’s worth a shot I guess, since there is time between Feb20 and March 14. But we all know this ends with no trade and a free Kirk Cousins.