Kirk Cousins reportedly prefers 49ers over anyone
Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins may be the highest paid free agent at any position this offseason, and reportedly prefers the 49ers…
Kirk Cousins is set to break the bank in free agency, potentially coming close to making the same type of money fellow class of 2012 quarterback Andrew Luck was given not too long ago by the Indianapolis Colts.
In a quarterback hungry league, Cousins holds the right cards, and wants a long-term deal from his next team, whether the Redskins or otherwise. According to a report on ESPN, Cousins prefers the 49ers over the Redskins or any other team as he moves on to the next chapter of his NFL career:
Kirk Cousins' preferred destination is the 49ers, by a decent amount, according to a source close to the QB. https://t.co/3EPhcPInKO pic.twitter.com/ratOUjKPQ3
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 28, 2017
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Here’s what the report from Jerry Keim on ESPN states:
"He loved playing for new 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan when he was the Washington Redskins‘ offensive coordinator. Shanahan is a detail-oriented coach, which meshes well with Cousins."
Now, this could all be a ploy by Cousins to gain leverage in contract negotiations. Of course, he wants to maximize his value in free agency, and having a connection to Shanahan in San Francisco is a pretty big bargaining piece. The Redskins only have until Wednesday to use the franchise tag on Cousins, which is going to be a substantial amount of guaranteed money, and they may not be willing to pay that price.
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Of course, the San Francisco 49ers are a team that has plenty of cap space, and could probably afford to pay Cousins any price he wanted. They could try and work out a sign-and-trade with the Redskins, but the cost could be prohibitive.
The most likely scenario here is that the Redskins apply the franchise tag to Cousins, because they’re between a rock and a hard place. Cousins has developed into a pretty good starting quarterback in the NFL, and would obviously be a huge part of the rebuild going on in San Francisco.
If the 49ers have mutual interest in Cousins, the two parties could definitely find a way to make this happen, but the Redskins would have to be willing to take on a nearly $24 million cap hit just to be able to potentially keep Cousins around to negotiate or work out a trade with another team.
This situation is going to be one of the most interesting to monitor this offseason.