Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (12) warms up before a game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Redskins backup quarterback Kirk Cousins has made it clear that he loves the city and the organization, but he’s also unsurprisingly made it clear that he would like to try his hand at starting in this league and is thus open to a trade. After a dismal “tryout” of performances at the end of the 2013 season, a trade and a starting gig would be a shock for the second-year passer out of Michigan State. Cousins has shown that he is a great young backup to franchise QB Robert Griffin III, but he hasn’t shown that he can be a starter in this league and did not take advantage of the starts he was given after Mike Shanahan decided to take his feud with Dan Snyder to the next level.
Cousins is on the trading block, but suitors are expected to be few and far between, especially if the Redskins asking price is indeed as high as it is being reported. Per “a person familiar with the team’s planning” close to the Washington Post’s Mark Maske, the Redskins asking price for Cousins is a second-round pick, presumably in this year’s draft class.
That’s a very high asking price, and it’s one that will almost certainly not be met by even the most interested team. The Cleveland Browns would be much better off drafting a QB with the fourth pick than spending a second-round pick on him, and that’s even assuming that Kyle Shanahan, Ray Farmer, Mike Pettine, and the Browns organization view Cousins as a potential franchise QB.
At this point in time, I think Cousins is virtually a lock to stay in Washington, and his asking price is similar to the New England Patriots asking price for backup Ryan Mallett, unless things have changed from last offseason on that front.