Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins received the franchise tag from the team for 2016 after a long-term contract couldn’t be reached before Tuesday’s deadline.
The tag guarantees Cousins a $19.95 million salary this season.
The Redskins and Cousins can still negotiate a long-term contract and have until July 15 to reach an agreement.
The decision to place the tag on Cousins wasn’t a surprise as team president Bruce Allen indicated the team would do so if a long-term deal couldn’t be reached.
Cousins is free to sign with another team but any franchise that signs him would owe the Redskins two first-round picks. Washington also would have the option to match the contract offer and retain Cousins.
Regardless of how the situation shakes out, Cousins receives a huge pay raise.
He made just $660,000 last season when he passed for 4,166 yards and 29 touchdowns during the best campaign of his four-year career.