’Skins’ Cousins likely to play under franchise tag again

As they entered the final hours of their window to sign quarterback Kirk Cousins to a long-term deal, the Washington Redskins’ chances of doing so remained bleak. Barring some unforeseen development before the NFL’s 4 p.m. deadline today, Cousins will play a second straight season on the franchise player tag, people familiar with the negotiations told The Washington Post. Playing on the tag again means Cousins, a six-year veteran, will draw a one-year salary worth about $24 million, and that the Redskins will find themselves in familiar territory next offseason. If Washington and Cousins can’t agree to a multiyear deal when negotiations resume in 2018, the Redskins could have to either use the transition tag, which guarantees Cousins a salary of about $28 million for 2018, or the franchise tag for a third time, which translates into a salary of about $34 million. But the drawback of the transition tag is other teams could negotiate with Cousins. Washington would have the right to match any deal, but if they get outbid, the Redskins wouldn’t receive any compensation from the opposing team. HORSE RACING: Isabelle de Tomaso’s multiple Grade 2-winning homebred Irish War Cry continued preparations for his next start with a 6furlong breeze at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton on Sunday morning. Irish War Cry and his workmate, 5-year-old Grade1turf winner Ascend, went the distance in 1 minute, 14 seconds over Fair Hill’s dirt track. Scheduled to make his next start in the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) on July 30 at Monmouth Park, Irish War Cry has breezed three times at Fair Hill since the Belmont Stakes, where he finished second. MAJOR LEAGUE LACROSSE: The Maryland men’s lacrosse team will be honored Thursday at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium by the Chesapeake Bayhawks and The Touchdown Club of Annapolis. “Maryland Men’s Lacrosse Night” will be held in conjunction with the Bayhawks’ game against the Florida Launch at 7:30 p.m. —