The Washington Redskins will have a decision to make about Kirk Cousins. Though it is likely that they will let him play out the season on the franchise tag, they should still consider trading him.
The end is drawing near for chapter two of the Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins saga. With the July 17 extension deadline for Cousins rapidly approaching, the team is going to soon have to make a decision about the future of their signal caller. It appears that the two sides will not reach a deal, and Cousins will once again be hitting unrestricted free agency after the season.
However, this time around, the Redskins will have virtually no leverage in contract talks. They can’t dangle the franchise tag over Cousins’ head again, as that would possibly cause them an excess of $30 million to pay him for one season. As a result, Cousins could field offers from other teams if he is not tagged, and that could see him leave the Redskins with the team only getting a potential compensatory pick as compensation.
Because of this, some will say that Cousins should be traded. This is an altogether unlikely scenario, but there are a couple of potential trading partners out there that could surface. Our own Lindsay Austin Hough identified a potential blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Rams as an idea for the Redskins. This is a sensible idea because of Cousins’ connection to Rams head coach, and former Redskins offensive coordinator, Sean McVay.
However, the Redskins may have more success trying to trade with another one of Cousins’ former coaches. Kyle Shanahan, now of the San Francisco 49ers, could try to swing a deal with the Redskins to get a guaranteed shot at having Cousins as his franchise quarterback. Shanahan is a huge fan of Cousins, and he could be willing to give up a good amount in a trade package to get his quarterback.
What would the trade look like?
The trade would be centered around future draft picks from the 49ers as well as one of their younger defensive studs. Across the defensive line, the 49ers have a lot of talent. They drafted Solomon Thomas with the No. 3 overall pick this past April, and he should be a dominant force off the edge for the team. However, the shift to a 4-3 defense may not be as kind to the other members of the defensive line.
Namely, I’m talking about Arik Armstead. The former first round pick is projected to start on the end for the 49ers, but that is an interesting proposition. Armstead has great length and athleticism, but it remains to be seen if he has the ability to beat left tackles at the NFL level. However, he has proven that he has some potential as an interior player and rusher in a 3-4 defense. For that reason, Armstead could be an interesting trade pick in a package for Cousins.
If Armstead was included in the package, the question would then be, what else could the 49ers give up? It would be draft capital without a doubt, and they could explore offering just a single first round pick in addition to Armstead. That could be enough, but the Redskins could demand more, particularly if Cousins agreed to an extension with the 49ers before the trade. Though it seems unlikely, I would imagine that Cousins would be most willing to agree to a massive extension to work with a guy he has worked with in the past, like Shanahan.
In the case of an extension, San Francisco would probably have to throw in an incentive based mid-round pick to sweeten the deal for the Redskins. Perhaps a fourth round pick that could become a third rounder, if the 49ers were to somehow make the playoffs, would do the trick.
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At the end of the day, this trade is just a pipe dream. The odds of the Redskins trading a player like Cousins away are slim to none. They still believe in him and though they have not shown it financially, they are going to do everything in their power to keep him in Washington… at a reasonable price.