The Redskins could use their franchise tag on Kirk Cousins or try to sign him to a long-term deal. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

Tuesday marked the first day that NFL teams could use the franchise tag on their highest-priority impending free agent. As expected, it came and went without the Washington Redskins taking that step to lock up the services of quarterback Kirk Cousins for the 2016 season.

Teams have a two-week window to use their franchise-player tag to avoid potentially losing a coveted member of their squad to another team in free agency. The deadline for doing so this year is March 1.

Between now and then, there are bound to be numerous reports and much speculation about the status and tone of contract talks regarding Cousins. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports has reported that the two sides are “nowhere near” agreement. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted that talks had broken off entirely.

According to a team source with knowledge of the process, that is “absolutely not” the case. And ultimately, it matters not if the gap between the parties is narrow or wide two weeks ahead of the deadline for franchise-tag designations.

Chosen by the Redskins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft, Cousins was cast as a backup to Robert Griffin III from the outset of his pro career, denied a chance to compete for the starting job. But after Griffin struggled to move the offense under Coach Jay Gruden, Cousins won the starting job two weeks before the 2015 season opener and led Washington to a 9-7 record and NFC East championship. Along the way, he posted a franchise record for passing yards in a single season (4,166), compiled a quarterback rating of 101.6 and completed 69.8 percent of his throws with 29 touchdowns.

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In doing so, Cousins vaulted from relative obscurity to highly regarded prospect in a league that is suffering a dearth of game-ready, pro-style quarterbacks. And he did so at precisely the moment he was due to hit the free agent market, able to sell his services to any team in the league once the new league year begins March 9 at 4 p.m.

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The Redskins, of course, could block his departure by using the franchise tag, but it’s in the team’s interest to negotiate a multiyear deal instead. Here’s why:

The franchise tag is a one-year deal that would require the Redskins to pay Cousins around $20 million, all of which will count against the salary cap.

While a multiyear deal might not be appreciably cheaper — likely worth a $15 million to $20 million annual salary — the contract could be structured in a way that’s friendlier to the salary cap.

Moreover, if Cousins plays under the franchise tag in 2016 and has another terrific season, the Redskins would end up having to pay him even more to keep him in 2017. Having to use the franchise tag for a second consecutive year means his salary would increase by 120 percent on the $20 million from this year’s tag. They could avoid such a situation by striking a multiyear deal with more modest pay increases and/or incentive clauses.

Of course, if Cousins proves a one-season wonder, using the franchise tag to keep him around for 2016 would limit the Redskins’ long-term financial obligation.

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There are two versions of the franchise tag that Washington could use between now and the March 1 deadline: the exclusive tag and the non-exclusive tag.

The exclusive franchise tag prevents other teams from negotiating with a tagged player. The player would earn a salary equivalent to the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position, or 120 percent of the player’s previous salary, whichever is more. In Cousins’s case, the former would be considerably more — roughly 30 times his 2015 base salary of $660,000.

The non-exclusive franchise tag (which would pay the tagged player the same amount as the exclusive tag) would allow other teams to negotiate with that player, but the original team has the right to match any offer. If the original team declines to match the offer, it would receive two first-round picks as compensation for losing its franchise player.

Locking up Cousins with the franchise tag by March 1 wouldn’t prevent the Redskins from still trying to work out a long-term deal. The Redskins would then have until July 15 to get a multiyear deal done. If they fail to, Cousins would play under the franchise tag.