Washington Redskins GM explains Kirk Cousins contract thinking

As the deadline to sign franchise players to contract extensions approached July 15, Washington Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan boiled down his options in numerical terms.

Should he move mountains to make a long-term deal with franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins work or was there a bigger picture to consider?

"The way I look at it is I want Kirk in a long-term deal, no doubt about it, but also I'm not gonna put our franchise in a situation where we're gonna lose three or four younger guys that I think are gonna be good football players for one guy," McCloughan told Sirius/XM Radio. "I won't do it. You know, that's just how it is."

McCloughan was part of building the Seattle Seahawks into Super Bowl champions during seasons in which quarterback Russell Wilson made hundreds of thousands of dollars. Cousins will be paid $19.95 million next season and will be the first quarterback to play on the franchise tag since Drew Brees did so with the San Diego Chargers in 2005.

"Hopefully," McCloughan said, "He's our quarterback for a long time."

Robert Griffin III entered 2015 training camp as the presumed starter but didn't make it to Week 1 before being unseated. Cousins, 27, has been a starter in the NFL for just one season, but he was impressive in that role for the Redskins - especially late in the campaign.

He started all 16 regular-season games for the Redskins last season, throwing for 4,166 yards with 29 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Over the final 10 games of the 2016 season, Cousins threw 23 touchdown passes with just three interceptions.

"The quarterback position's very, very important, but you know what, so is every other position," McCloughan said. "We need football players. We need multiple football players, not one."