Quote:
Originally Posted by HailGreen28
Macro, please read the link MTK posted.
Basically there's no way the Skins can force Cousins to do anything. He's looking forward to a bidding war between teams that actually want him. There's no reason for him to trust the Redskins front office at this point or roll the dice a third year with injury or some other unforeseen, or to agree to any deal that takes draft picks away from the team he is going to.
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Tandler assumes the same fallacy I've read everywhere else.
If tagged with the franchise tag Cousins has only one choice, an A or B choice. Either sign it and become under contract, or not sign it and therefore damage his own very market.
That bidding war you're talking about doesn't occur if he doesn't sign the tag and self imposes himself into limbo. All he would be doing is collecting dust while the teams who want him, have to start signing other players and use their money elsewhere instead of upon him.
So, Cousins will sign the tag.
From that point forward, his one-year tender contract is the property of the Redskins. They can trade him to whoever and for whatever. But of course Bruce and Dan will tell him that they will send him to his favorite team, no worse for the wear. That he'll end up in the same place for the same contract.
And that the only thing that matters for Bruce and Dan is whatever they can come to agree upon with Elway for compensation.
And, as I contend, we already know which is his favorite team. But, ultimately that doesn't matter, be it Denver or Cleveland, or whoever.
The fact is that the contract that Cousins wants (the one that ballparks between 25/26/27 AAV and up 90 (+/-) guaranteed dollars) will be written by his most enamored suitor regardless if it was in open market free agency, or upon a tag and trade.
The whole notion that Cousins could hold the Redskins free agent spending hostage really doesn't stand up to the light. First, once he signs, he doesn't have a choice on the matter. So his compliance of signing the tag and detailing which team is his first choice ensures he ends up where he wants to be.
Likewise, as it has been pointed out time and again, IF the Redskins just let Cousins leave in free agency, ostensibly going the passive route and playing for the 2019 3rd round compensatory pick, the Redskins would STILL have to show restraint and not sign "much of anyone," in free agency to begin with.
The notion that tagging Cousins somehow leads to Cousins stilling in the corner refusing to talk to teams that are offering him 90 million in guaranteed money, that teams across the league hungry, thirsty and desperate for legit, proven, NFL QBs are all going to collude together to lowball the Redskins and offer only 6th or 7th round picks for compensation to obtain the contractual rights just isn't going to happen.
The team that wants Cousins and the team that Cousins wants will be one and the same.
A signed affidavit or other legal document produced by Eric Schaffer ensures that Bruce will deal Cousins to his favorite team. The same team that Cousins say so in Indy during the Combine, during the trade summit. That would be the in-principal aspect of the trade to nullify your point of Cousins/McCartney's reticence to broker a deal.