Kirk Cousins open to a trade
Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (12) scrambles with the ball against the New York Giants during the second quarter of a game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Redskins will unsurprisingly move forward with Robert Griffin III as their franchise quarterback, as it would have been ludicrous not to buy into the former No. 2 pick, whom the Redskins basically sold the franchise on. They somehow made it into the playoffs in his rookie year, and the dual-threat QB was simply magnificent in 2012. He fell off of a cliff last season, but injuries and a toxic work environment contributed to his struggles and greatly exacerbated his issues as a pocket passer (mainly his decision-making and footwork). With RG3 set to be healthy next season and a new coaching staff in place, he has everything in front of him to have a huge third season; it’s all up to him now.
Backup Kirk Cousins is one of the best backups in the game, but it’s become clear that he doesn’t deserve a starting job. He benefited big-time from the spat between Mike Shanahan and Dan Snyder last season, as Shanny benched RG3 for the final three games of the regular season under the guise of “getting him healthy”. What Shanahan was really doing was sticking it to his boss by benching his favorite player, and he wanted to force Snyder to fire him in order to pay his buyout and get him out of a situation he was clearly uncomfortable with.
Cousins threw for 381 yards in his first showcase game against a weak Atlanta Falcons defense, making up for two interceptions by tossing three TDs and averaging 8.5 yards per attempt. However, he looked incompetent in games against the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, and those two putrid performances (Trumaine McBride ate him up for lunch in the finale) cemented his status as a backup and not somebody who would be traded for as a potential starter in the offseason.
But he still wants to have a starting gig, and he knows that he won’t be starting in Washington anytime soon due to Griffin. Per league sources close to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cousins believes he can start in this league and told the Redskins brass that he wants to be traded in order to receive a starting gig. His trade value is at its lowest (it was hire before those two NFC East rivalry games), so I doubt anyone is going to make a serious offer for him. He isn’t mad at the team or anything, but rather he unsurprisingly wants to try his hand at starting. Schefter tell us to watch for the Cleveland Browns, as former Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan was hired by the team yesterday to be their new OC.