The NFL regular season is now over, and as 12 teams prepare for the playoffs, the other 20 are looking ahead to the offseason. As such, there are plenty of rumors surrounding contracts, free agents and players that may be franchise tagged. Here's all the latest you need to know from round the NFL:
Cousins unwilling to take team-friendly deal
The Washington Redskins are facing a crucial offseason when it comes to quarterback Kirk Cousins. After signing him to the franchise tag last year, they will either sign him to a long-term deal or tag him again (which would cost $23.94 million). They could also let him walk in free agency, but the Redskins are very unlikely to do that.
Because of the situation Washington is in with him, Cousins told 106.7 The Fan that he will try to maximize his earnings.
“There’s other quarterbacks that come after you and it would be almost a selfish move to hurt future quarterbacks who get in a position to have a contract,” Cousins said “And if you don’t take a deal that’s fair to you, then you’re also taking a deal that’s not fair to them and you’re setting them back as well. So there’s different reasons. You just do the best you can.
“Frankly, once you sign the contract, there’s no law saying you can’t renegotiate,” Cousins said. “If you signed a deal and you end up coming away from two seasons saying, ‘Hey, not only did we not win, but I think the reason is that I’m taking too much,’ then you can always talk about changing that, but I don’t a need to do that on the front end. You want to find your value and then be able to play off of that accordingly."
Cousins passed for 4,917 yards and 25 touchdowns with 12 interceptions this season.
Short unlikely to sign franchise tag
Another player who may receive the franchise tag is Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Kawann Short, but according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, Short may not sign the tag at all:
Short, per a league source with knowledge of the situation, won’t be quickly signing the franchise tag, if the team applies it. Short may not sign the tag at all, which means that absent a long-term deal before July 15, Short may not play in 2017.
While few players end up sitting out an entire season in response to being tagged, Short’s mindset is to secure a fair long-term deal. To get one, he realizes that he’ll have to let things play out, possibly with the tag applied to him.
Short recorded 55 tackles with six sacks and a forced fumble this season. He had a career high 11 sacks in 2015.
Johnson won't need surgery
Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson suffered a knee injury on Sunday, but it's not as severe as it was originally feared to be.
Head coach Bruce Arians said that the MRI showed Johnson suffered a sprained MCL, but did not suffer any tendon damage and won't have surgery.
Johnson gained 1,239 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground with 879 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
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