Report: Kirk Cousins requested owner Dan Snyder to trade him
By John Buhler
Kirk Cousins really doesn’t want to play for the Washington Redskins. He asked owner Daniel Snyder to trade him, but didn’t get the response he hoped for.
Just when everybody thought for a second that the Washington Redskins had it together, they revealed their true dysfunctional nature. Doubling-down on the franchise tag with quarterback Kirk Cousins was apparently the wrong move.
According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, “Kirk Cousins appealed personally to owner Dan Snyder for a trade but was basically told not to get his hopes up.”
Kirk Cousins appealed personally to owner Dan Snyder for a trade but was basically told not to get his hopes up, per sources.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) March 9, 2017
Cousins can’t catch a break, can he? He became the starting quarterback in Washington in 2015 and led the Redskins to the NFC Playoffs. Washington was a game away from getting back to them in 2016, but playing in a brutal NFC East didn’t help.
In two years as the starting quarterback, Cousins has proven to be one of the more accurate passers in the NFC and capable of leading the Redskins to the playoffs. That pretty much means that he is a franchise quarterback, but Snyder doesn’t seem to view him as that.
The obvious trade destination Cousins would prefer would be to the San Francisco 49ers. With the 49ers, Cousins would be reunited with former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, now running the show in Santa Clara. They might have just signed Brian Hoyer and own a top pick in the NFL Draft, but pivoting to add Cousins could change things in a positive way.
Adding Cousins would mean the 49ers wouldn’t need to reach for Mitch(ell) Trubisky at No. 2 overall and could take another young talent to help the overall roster. It’s not a plan guaranteed to work out, but it’s one that seems to have a little more upside than others.
San Francisco may not be as good as Washington in 2017, but the 49ers could be willing to give him the long-term contract he clearly covets. Washington is not handling it’s quarterback situation well at all.
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If Washington thinks Cousins will come back to the Redskins in 2018, they are sorely mistaken. Aren’t they better off getting something for Cousins now than nothing at all next spring?