Kirk Cousins wants an opportunity to compete for a starting quarterback job in the NFL next season. And if the Washington Redskins can’t provide him with it, the former Michigan State star wants to be traded.
On Monday, Cousins told Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 in Washington DC that he wants out if there is no open quarterback competition.
Kirk Cousins says that if Redskins name RG3 starting QB he would like to be traded. #Redskins
— Dianna Marie Russini (@NBCdianna) December 29, 2014
Cousins explained if there is no QB competition, there's no point. Although he would approach it as 16 games until free agency #Redskins
— Dianna Marie Russini (@NBCdianna) December 29, 2014
When I asked Cousins if I could go on the record with his desire for a trade if RG3 is named starter "Isn't it obvious I couldn't stay here"
— Dianna Marie Russini (@NBCdianna) December 29, 2014
Assuming Jay Gruden keeps his job, there’s no way Robert Griffin III is going to be named the starting quarterback before the start of next season. Cousins initially played well when he took over for an injured RG3 back in September, but he went downhill in a hurry. He proved he is a better pocket passer than Griffin but also turned the ball over too frequently.
There have been reports that Gruden feels Cousins is a better fit for his offense than RG3. Injuries to every Redskins quarterback this season muddled the situation, so we don’t know how Gruden plans to handle the position — assuming he is in charge — going forward.
While RG3 played slightly better over the Redskins’ final three games of the season, he still threw just two touchdown passes and three interceptions during that stretch. He also lost more than one fumble.
Given some of the negative things Gruden has said about Griffin, it’s safe to assume RG3 will have to earn his job if Gruden stays on as head coach. If the Redskins choose to keep Griffin and fire Gruden, Cousins might have more to worry about.
