Kirk Cousins Unlikely to Receive Franchise Tag from Redskins for 3rd Time

A third straight franchise tag doesn't appear to be in the cards for quarterback Kirk Cousins. 

Speaking to reporters Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Washington Redskins Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Doug Williams said the team is unlikely to sign Cousins to the tag after reportedly agreeing to acquire Alex Smith from the Kansas City Chiefs. 

"I don't think so," Williams said, according to ESPN.com's John Keim. "But it's not too late. But we haven't really talked about that. The media had come up with those scenarios more than what we've talked about it because I can't remember one meeting where we talked about the possibility of tagging him."

Tagging Cousins has never been a particularly sensible option for the Redskins. 

Making such a move would cost the team $34.5 million in cap flexibility, at least temporarily, and it would siphon off a significant portion of Washington's spending power considering it's currently projected to have $48.5 million at its disposal entering free agency. 

Plus, it would have likely been accompanied by quite a bit of drama. 

Citing a source, the Washington Post's Kimberley A. Martin reported Cousins planned to file a grievance if the Redskins used the franchise tag to retain him once again. 

But with the front office seemingly prepared to move on, Cousins will be free to pursue a new opportunity as an unrestricted free agent. 

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, we can anticipate the Minnesota Vikings to "be in very heavy" on Cousins when teams begin negotiating with free agents on March 12. 

Financial information courtesy of OverTheCap.com.