Report: Redskins rejected Kirk Cousins deal for 3 years, $19.5 million per year last offseason

According to “a source with knowledge of the Redskins’ decision,” Cousins’ camp offered the Redskins a “three-year deal last February worth $19.5 [million] a year with significant guarantees.” That offer was still on the table in July.

The Redskins reportedly offered Kirk Cousins a deal worth $16 million a year, with $24 million dollars guaranteed last year, and didn’t budge off of that number. It wasn’t reported what Cousins counteroffer was, but it was assumed to be the price of the franchise tag. Grant Paulsen of 106.7 the fan is reporting that is exactly what they wanted, but the Redskins turned them down. The team wanted to see more from Cousins, and didn’t want to be locked in if Cousins was unable to replicate his success at the end of the 2015 season.

The ongoing drama in the front office revolves around the inevitable ouster of GM Scot McCloughan, and the amount of influence Bruce Allen truly has on the team. McCloughan has been silenced, and is not around the team anymore. New reports say that his power was vastly exaggerated, and Bruce overrode him on personnel issues. The biggest one could be the deal that could have happened last year with QB Kirk Cousins. The Washington Post reports that McCloughan wanted him signed, but Allen was not prepared to commit. This was a problem then, and it is a problem once again this year.

The handling of Cousins and his contract also represented an area of disagreement. McCloughan had told people around the league that if he had full control, the Redskins would have signed the quarterback to a multiyear contract in 2016, avoiding the use of two straight franchise tags with long-term resolution. That angered Allen, who in turn started blaming his general manager in league circles for all of the negative media leaks about Cousins. Allen publicly has taken an “all in” approach on the quarterback. But sources say he is still hesitant to give the quarterback a lucrative multiyear deal.