The Facts: Cousins has been around long enough to know that, when it comes to NFL contracts, procrastination is a way of life. "As one person has told me, deadlines do deals," Cousins told reporters on Wednesday. "That's just kind of a rule in negotiating, so why would something happen way before a deadline? It just doesn't make sense. I'm not in a hurry, they're not in a hurry, so we'll just see how things go. I'm being patient."

Diehards Line: It's true. We see it year after year; deadlines matter. And public negotiations tend to get more contentious the closer those deadlines get. In this case, Cousins has experience when it comes to the key deadline for signing a franchise-tagged player to a long-term deal; last year, July 15 came and went without a contract. That could happen this year, too. Asked about the stress of the contract situation, Cousins explained that he understands, from high school to college to now, he can only “go and play and see where the chips will land and try not to let it get to you.”