Kirk Cousins is definitely not the starting quarterback in Washington any longer. Now his future is the biggest storyline of the 2018 offseason.

It was settled the moment the team worked out a trade with the Chiefs to bring in Alex Smith. So now Washington has two choices. It can let Cousins hit free agency, or it can use the franchise tag for a third consecutive season to try to get something for him via trade.

The latest Kirk Cousins news and rumors

If Washington decides to tag Cousins yet again, the window to do so is Feb. 20 until March 6. Free agency begins on March 14.

Teams that could try to sign Cousins

Cousins is the biggest name on the quarterback market this offseason. The 49ers just shelled out $137.5 million over five years to make Jimmy Garoppolo the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history. Cousins should command more than the $27.5 million per year Garoppolo is making on the open market.

A report by Peter Schrager suggests that Cousins will seek a shorter deal with more guaranteed money. The idea is to get three to four years of mostly guaranteed money, so he’s able to hit the market again when the price for quarterbacks ultimately goes up again. That was backed up by Adam Schefter, who reported the Vikings, Jets, Cardinals, and Broncos were the finalists to land Cousins and that most had planned for short-term deals with a large amount of guaranteed money included.

Arizona Cardinals

Why it makes sense: The Cardinals’ cap situation will make it difficult for them to be serious players in the Cousins sweepstakes. But Carson Palmer retired, and they’ve got no other quarterbacks on the roster.

Why it doesn’t: They only have an estimated $22.4 million in available cap space.

Latest rumors

March 3: Adam Schefter reported the Cardinals were one of four finalists for Cousins.

Feb. 26: The Cardinals might want Cousins, but they probably can’t afford him, per Mike Jurecki of Arizona Sports 98.7. They could try to grab a quality starter with the No. 15 pick in the draft or bring in a veteran like Josh McCown as an inexpensive stopgap.

Feb. 2: Larry Fitzgerald deserves to have a good quarterback for what’s probably his final season in the NFL, and he said on the Dan Patrick Show that he’s willing to use his golf connections in Phoenix to make it worth Cousins’ while.

Cleveland Browns

Why it makes sense: They have more money to spend than any other quarterback-needy team, with over $110 million in available cap space.

Why it doesn’t: They just drafted DeShone Kizer last year. Plus, Cousins wants to win, and Cleveland’s managed to do that just once in the past two seasons.

Latest rumors

March 3: Adam Schefter reported four teams were expected to compete for Cousins — the Browns aren’t one of them.

Feb. 15: Left tackle Joe Thomas tried to convince Cousins to give Cleveland a chance.

Denver Broncos

Why it makes sense: The Broncos are the team that’s closest to being just a quarterback away from contention.

Why it doesn’t: Their $25.9 million in available cap space means John Elway would have to make some other moves to be able to pay Cousins.

Latest rumors

March 3: The Broncos are one of the finalists in the Cousins sweepstakes, per Adam Schefter.

March 1: Charles Robinson of Yahoo reported that the Broncos are going “all-in” on targeting Cousins.

Feb. 28: The Broncos might not be major players in the Cousins sweepstakes if, like John Elway said at the NFL Combine, they will take a hard look at Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield.

Feb. 19: This is more of an educated guess than a rumor, but it makes sense. Peter King of The MMQB believes the Broncos are the most logical landing spot for Cousins because he thinks John Elway will be willing to spend big to have some peace of mind at the quarterback position.

For what it’s worth, NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano says that D.J. Swearinger, Cousins’ teammate in Washington, agrees.

Feb. 12: Von Miller is doing his damnedest to lure Cousins to Denver.

Minnesota Vikings

Why it makes sense: The Vikings made the NFC Championship last year, which is a solid selling point. They’ve also got $53.2 million to play with this offseason.

Why it doesn’t: They could just re-sign Teddy Bridgewater, Case Keenum, or Sam Bradford.

Latest rumors

March 4: The Jets can outbid the Vikings, but they’re worried that the Vikings will land Cousins anyway because he wants to play in Minnesota, per SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano.

March 3: Adam Schefter said the Vikings were one of the four finalists to land Cousins.

Feb. 26: The Vikings don’t plan to apply the franchise tag to Case Keenum, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Rapoport and his colleague Mike Garafolo both reported that the Vikings are expected to be in on Kirk Cousins once legal tampering begins.

Feb. 16: New offensive coordinator John DiFilippo, who faced Cousins twice in each of his two seasons as the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach, sounded pretty enamored with Cousins in a recent appearance on KFAN in Minneapolis.

New York Jets

Why it makes sense: Christian Hackenberg, Bryce Petty, and Joel Stave are the quarterbacks on the roster. The Jets aren’t likely to see much improvement in 2018 without an upgrade at that position, and they can afford it.

Why it doesn’t: Cousins may not be thrilled about heading to a team that won just five games last season.

Latest rumors

March 4: The Jets are willing to throw a ton of money at Cousins with hefty guarantees built in, but that won’t matter if Cousins just prefers the Vikings. That’s a possibility, according to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano.

March 3: The Jets are one of the four teams vying for Cousins, according to a report from Adam Schefter.

March 1: Adam Schefter believes that the Jets will be the most aggressive of all teams in signing Cousins.

Feb. 22: The NY Daily News’ Manish Mehta said sources told him the Jets want Cousins and will make a strong push for him, but they won’t just hand him a “blank check” either.

Feb. 20: Brian Costello of the New York Post, explained that the “whatever” in “whatever it takes” could be a five-year, $150 million offer. A source speculated to Costello that the cash flow for Cousins could consist of $60 million in 2018.

Feb. 19: The Jets will be willing to “pay whatever it takes” to get Cousins, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. They might even be willing to fully guarantee Cousins’ contract to sweeten the deal.

Jan. 30: There’s at least one factor working in the Jets’ favor: Kirk Cousins is a big fan of new offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates. Cousins said as much during an appearance on KFAN during Super Bowl week. Bates would run a system similar to the one Cousins had in Washington, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Washington could franchise tag Cousins again

There are three possible outcomes if the team does tag Cousins: Washington finds a trade partner and Cousins plays for his new team under the tag this season. Washington doesn’t work out a trade and ends up with a really expensive backup quarterback for 2018. Or most likely, some team trades for Cousins and works out a long-term deal with him.

Latest rumors

Feb. 28: Washington has not considered using the franchise tag on Cousins for a third time, per Kimberley A. Martin of the Washington Post. “He’s a free agent for sure,” senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams said.

Feb. 19: If Washington does tag Cousins again, he’s expected to file a grievance with the NFLPA, according to Martin. The foundation would be a lack of good-faith intent to work out a long-term deal with Cousins.

Feb. 4: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Washington will consider using the franchise tag on Cousins.