WASHINGTON — Attempting to determine Kirk Cousins’ value isn’t an entirely new experience around these parts.

Even as he backed up Robert Griffin III, attempting to quantify what Cousins — who developed some interest outside Washington with two handfuls of spot starts during his first three NFL seasons — could return on the trade market has been an annual rite of offseason blogging passage.

What was hardly predictable then, especially in the months after Griffin was named the 2015 starter in February, was that Cousins would have an entire season forthcoming to prove himself as a capable starting quarterback and exceed his previous valuations.

One must discard all previous predictions birthed prior to this season, which currently has the Redskins in control of the NFC East at 5-6, and start from a clean slate. What is Cousins worth now?

Making that more difficult to answer is Cousins, who in leading the Redskins in their ascent to the top of the division has gradually fortified his own worth.

Cousins’ value has risen even in the last two weeks, since NFL Insider Jason La Canfora first theorized Cousins, coming off a 324-yard, 4-touchdown passing day in a blowout win over New Orleans, was on pace to make “a lot of money” in the offseason.

Related: Skins Haven’t Made Cousins An Offer

“He may end up getting the franchise tag,” La Canfora revisited the topic with 106.7 The Fan’s Chad Dukes on Tuesday. “When you play this thing forward and you look at quarterbacks, and what happens in this league, and what happens when you don’t have one, and what happens when you let one get away — and certainly you can make the case of what happens when you overpay one — the reality is when you’re talking guaranteed money and when you can really get out of these deals.”

“It’s going to be a two- to three-year deal, depending how the guaranteed money is structured, how much he gets up front, etc., etc.,” he said. “But he’s reaching a point where it’s not going to make a whole lot of sense to listen just because you have the opportunity to let the market dictate it.”

Since Cousins’ last multi-interception game (a 34-20 loss to the New York Jets on Oct. 18), the Redskins starter has put up big, efficient passing numbers — 117-of-164 (71.3%), 1,367 yards, 10 TDs, 2 INTs — against Tampa Bay, New England, New Orleans, Carolina and the New York Giants. Factor in his two rushing touchdowns and Cousins — with a 12:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio in that span — is quickly proving his identity as a turnover machine to be outdated.

He won’t be judged solely on how he’s performed in five games, though; this latest stretch merely shows he’s trending in the direction of a big payday. Also, context matters. On the season, with five games to play, here are Cousins’ measurables:

— 2,787 yards (13th, ahead of Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton)

— 68.4 completion percentage (2nd, behind only Philip Rivers)

— 16 touchdowns (tied for 15th with Matt Ryan, Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston)

— 10 interceptions (tied for 9th most with Drew Brees, Sam Bradford and Winston)

— 91.7 passer rating (17th, ahead of Matt Stafford, Ryan Tannehill and Newton)

— 3 rushing touchdowns (3rd among QBs, behind Newton and Winston)

It should be noted all other quarterbacks cited above — except for rookies Mariota and Winston — earn on average between $13 million (Bradford) and $22 million (Rodgers) per year, according to overthecap.com.

Franchise tags vs. Transition tag

There are three types of tags, all of which are applied on a one-year basis: Exclusive franchise tag, non-exclusive franchise tag and transition tag.

An exclusive franchise tag is a tender offer equivalent to no less than the average of the top five salaries at a given position, or 120 percent of the player’s previous salary (whichever number is greater). A franchise maintains exclusive negotiating rights with this option.

The non-exclusive franchise tag is based on those same measurements, but affords the player an opportunity to negotiate with other teams and the player’s current team the right to match any offer, and thus an out if the price climbs too high. This also guarantees the current franchise will receive two first-round picks as compensation for not matching.

The transition tag operates similarly to the non-exclusive franchise tag, however, it is based on the average of the top ten salaries at a given position and maintains the current franchise’s ability to match any offer from other teams. Read this for a better understanding of the three options.

Cap expert Joel Corry projects the 2016 franchise tag for quarterbacks to come in around $19.75 million.

“And yeah, you’d want to be back in Washington, all things being equal,” La Canfora said. “But how many times do you ever get to be in this opportunity? And how many 26, 27-year-old productive quarterbacks with a lot of upside ever hit the market in the first place? That’s why you would tend to think [the Redskins] have to do what they have to do to protect their market share.”

“There’ll be a time and place to talk in February before the combine,” he added. “And when he gets to the combine that’s just the way these things work. One way or another — wink, wink, nudge, nudge, nod, nod — he’ll have a sense of maybe what could potentially be out there for him.

“And you’ll have to see what makes sense, and if you need to buy yourself some time to keep him from being able to talk to those other teams, or at least to protect your right to get significant compensation back, should he do [that], then that’s what the franchise tag is there for. So I would not be shocked — if he stays on this trajectory — if that’s where it heads, and then obviously that would be the impetus to get a long-term deal done.”

What seemed an absurd notion five weeks ago, and more so five weeks before that, becomes increasingly less so the longer Cousins keeps up his current pace of play. Bottom line: Cousins continues to play himself toward a larger and larger contract.

Follow @ChrisLingebach and @1067TheFanDC on Twitter.