The New York Jets inquired about trading for Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins several weeks ago, according to a report.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network said Sunday morning that the Jets asked about acquiring Cousins in the immediate aftermath of Geno Smith having his jaw broken by former teammate I.K. Enemkpali. The Redskins had no interest in trading Cousins, which is likely because Jay Gruden knew he was going to be named the team’s starting quarterback over Robert Griffin III.
As Gruden admitted, Cousins got the nod over RG3 because of performance — not Griffin’s concussion.
It’s possible that the Jets were concerned Smith would take longer to recover than the four-week timetable they are now expecting. Ryan Fitzpatrick will start New York’s Week 1 game against the Cleveland Browns.
Cousins has been the subject of a number of trade rumors over the past year, but it seems like Gruden prefers to hang onto him. If Mike Shanahan’s prediction about Cousins comes even close to true, the Redskins will be happy they didn’t trade the former Michigan State star.
