Kirk Cousins Says He 'Didn't Feel at Peace with Signing a Long-Term' Contract

Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins doesn't appear to be particularly worried about his lack of a long-term contract, as he revealed on Sunday, per Dan Graziano of ESPN.com:

"I didn't feel at peace with signing a long-term deal at this juncture. I think the freedom that it allows on the other side of this season makes more sense. In the league, there's so much change, so much turnover year after year, I think it makes a lot of sense to re-evaluate where we're at, where the league's at at the end of this season.

"If I put my confidence in a contract, or I put my confidence in money or in the security or in whatever I think the NFL can give me, it is a foundation of sand that is shifting, and it's not a healthy way to build your life."

Cousins' situation in Washington is unparalleled for a franchise quarterback in the modern NFL. For the past two seasons, the team has used the franchise tag on him, allowing Cousins to earn $20 million in 2016 and $24 million for this season.

Next year, he'll hit the open market at 29 with a chance to potentially earn "an average salary in excess of $30 million per year and $70 million or more in guarantees," per Graziano. Washington, to this point, has decided it doesn't want to offer him an extension that might make him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in football.

Another team desperate for a veteran quarterback, however, might be comfortable offering him that kind of money next offseason, especially given that Cousins has now posted consecutive seasons with at least 4,100 passing yards and 25 touchdowns.

While Cousins has sacrificed security, the fact that contracts in the NFL aren't fully guaranteed certainly played a part in his decision:

"A lot of it goes back to, these contracts are not baseball contracts; they're not basketball contracts. As a result, you're not really signing a five-year deal, you're not really signing a six-year deal. You're signing a two-year deal, and then there is an obligation for several years after that. And that just didn't sit well with me, and I'm better off, if those are my options, I'm better off signing a one-year deal and then having freedom."

Plus, Cousins will have made over $40 million the past two years, allowing him the financial stability to risk an injury or the sort of down season that could tank his long-term value. And given how unheard of it is for a franchise quarterback to hit free agency, he'll also have the potential leverage of multiple suitors next offseason.

That, in turn, could not only set a precedent for the type of money he earns but also how future franchise quarterbacks might approach their own contract negotiations.