Kirk Cousins is apparently going to remain in Washington for at least another season, as the team has reportedly decided its star quarterback is not going to be traded.
Shortly after Washington announced on Tuesday that it is using the exclusive franchise tag on Cousins, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that any potential trade with the San Francisco 49ers or any other team is off the table.
“He is not going anywhere,” Rapoport said. “We now know because it is the exclusive and not the non-exclusive tag, Cousins is going to make $24 million on a one-year deal and is not going anywhere. What the Redskins did was answer one of the biggest questions of the 2017 offseason with one move. They decided that they’re not going to trade him to the San Francisco 49ers or anywhere. He’s going to be their quarterback for the next year and that is that.”
Cousins could still be traded despite being tagged for the second consecutive year, but Rapoport has heard that is not Washington’s intention. For what it’s worth, another reporter said Tuesday that he expects Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers to “push hard” to acquire Cousins.
A lot can change over the course of the offseason. There have already been some surprising reports about how Cousins envisions his future in Washington, and the last thing the team wants is to pay him nearly $24 million guaranteed in 2017 and have him walk next offseason. If the 49ers truly want Cousins, they probably aren’t going to give up that easily.
