Gruden not concerned about Cousins' contract beyond 2017 season

Kirk Cousins is set for his third full year as the starter in Washington despite a second consecutive offseason of uncertainty.

Another use of the franchise tag only keeps the quarterback in a Redskins uniform for the 2017 season, so though the questions about his future have merely been deferred, head coach Jay Gruden is only worried about the present.

"My approach, really: I'm not gonna be concerned about it," Gruden said Monday at the Ryan Kerrigan Leukemia Golf Classic, according to Liz Clarke of The Washington Post. "I know he's gonna be here this season, and that's all I care about."

The Redskins and Cousins will have until July 15 to negotiate a long-term deal that would take the place of his one-year tender.

While there's been no sign of any progress on that front, and it remains to be seen whether both sides truly have mutual interest in a long-term deal, such deadlines often get all parties to the negotiating table.

If Washington does envision Cousins as its quarterback of the future, attempting to strike a deal in advance of the upcoming season is far and away the club's most sensible solution.

The required 120 percent raise for a third use of the franchise tag next offseason would put Cousins' salary at a staggering $34.5 million.

Cousins has produced at a high level in each of the two seasons since taking over under center, including a 2016 campaign where he threw for 4,917 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.