McCloughan fielded questions for more than 20 minutes with Redskins reporters at the Senior Bowl, including his assessment of Cousins as a full-time starter for the first time in his career.

“I saw improvement as the season went on,” McCloughan said. “From the standpoint of going forward, of course I’d like to have him around. Our philosophy with me and the organization is we won’t talk contract stuff with the media, but I want him to be a part of the Redskins.”

Cousins set the franchise record with 4,166 passing yards, finishing 10th in the league. He was also fifth in passer rating (101.6), eighth in yards per attempt (7.67) and tied for 12th in touchdown passes (29). He was voted as co-Most Improved Player of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America along with Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman. If the Redskins aren’t able to strike a multi-year deal with Cousins, which will be expected to range anywhere from $17-20 million per season, McCloughan confirmed that the franchise tag would be an option. The Redskins would have to pay Cousins nearly $20 million next season, however.

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“Of course you’d rather not, you’d rather get a long-term deal done, but we have a lot of options we’re dealing with right now and that’s one of them,” McCloughan said.

Cousins will be the team’s top priority this offseason. As the team moves forward from a successful season that ended with a 9-7 record and an NFC East division title, the quarterback situation still technically remains unresolved as McCloughan and his staff scout draft prospects all week during Senior Bowl practices.

“The thing about is is that nothing is dead set at that position,” McCloughan said. “What I’m doing here is quarterback, offensive linemen, safety, corner — it doesn’t matter. I’m looking for the best football players. It’d be nice to get everything locked in place going forward, but we don’t. No team really does completely, so it’s always about building no matter what.”

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