Report: Cousins will participate in offseason program

Despite being slapped with the franchise tag for the second straight season, Kirk Cousins intends to participate in the Washington Redskins' offseason program, a source told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

The quarterback could stay away from the mostly volunteer sessions as a power play in negotiations for a long-term deal with the Redskins, and then show up for the mandatory part of the offseason. However, it appears Cousins is truly OK with playing under the one-year, $23.94-million tag, and won't attempt to leverage a long-term extension at this time.

Cousins said Tuesday he doesn't anticipate being traded before the 2017 NFL Draft at the end of April. Reports surfaced in March that the veteran pivot asked Redskins owner Dan Synder to trade him, though Cousins denied doing so.