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Kirk Cousins and Trumaine Johnson winning Franchise Tag Battles

By Jon Dove

Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws the ball as New York Giants defensive end Owa Odighizuwa (58) chases in the third quarter at FedEx Field. The Giants won 19-10. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws the ball as New York Giants defensive end Owa Odighizuwa (58) chases in the third quarter at FedEx Field. The Giants won 19-10. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kirk Cousins and Trumaine Johnson are both on their 2nd year of the franchise tag and aren’t any closer to long-term deals.

Despite the fact that Kirk Cousins and Trumaine Johnson are doing another year on the franchise tag they find themselves in a good situation. The optimistic view is based on the amount of money both have collected while on the franchise tag.

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Cousins has received nearly $43 million over the past two seasons while Johnson has collected $31 million over the same time period. In the NFL world, that’s a lot of cash to be guaranteed. This is one of the few situations where the franchise tag has benefited the player.

However, neither player has any money coming in next year unless they can come to a long-term agreement. It’s the risk for any player who receives the franchise tag as it doesn’t protect them for the future.

Their future financial stability depends on how well they handled the money already in their pocket.

Still, both players are highly successful and should receive a long-term deal somewhere if they stay healthy this year. The situation is especially favorable for Cousins who plays a prime position. He has a great chance to add to his career earning total with a new contract.

Johnson also plays an important position and would stand to get a big-contact if he can stay healthy and perform.

These two situations have brought a bigger spotlight on the franchise tag. It shows that the players can benefit from the policy while still carrying the greater risk. This is something we should continue to monitor for the next collective bargaining agreement negotiations.

I expect both sides to lobby for some type of change in  his policy.

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