Despite holding out hope for an agreement on a long-term deal, the Washington Redskins and Kirk Cousins have failed to do so, and in turn, the team will use the franchise tag by today’s 4 p.m. deadline to ensure that it doesn’t lose the quarterback on the free agent market, which opens next week.
A person with knowledge of the situation said that Washington will use the non-exclusive franchise tag on Cousins. The designation means that Washington for now has committed to pay Cousins $19.953 million for the 2016. Outside teams can talk to Cousins’s agent about the possibility of signing him. If they extend him an offer that Washington chooses not to match, the Redskins would then receive two first-round picks from that team as compensation.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/football-insider/wp/2016/03/01/redskins-to-use-franchise-tag-to-retain-the-rights-to-kirk-cousins/
I still think they get a longterm deal done, but either way he's going to be the starting QB this season.