The Facts: In less than a week, the window closes for franchise-tagged players to sign multi-year contracts. With less than a week to go, nothing is happening regarding the highest-profile franchise-tagged player. Per a league source with knowledge of the situation, there have been no new developments as to the potential contract that would tie Cousins to Washington beyond 2017.
Diehards Line:PFT's Mike Florio stressed this doesn’t mean a deal is out of the question, but it shows that, if anything is going to happen, the process basically will be starting from scratch if at all within the next few days. But the starting point is clear: Cousins has $23.94 million in hand for 2017, with the promise of either a 20-percent raise under the transition tag or a 44-percent raise under the franchise tag in 2018 -- or a shot at the open market. Indeed, ESPN.com's John Keim concurred with Florio, writing this morning: "A deal remains a long shot. It's been that way for a long time."