Kirk Cousins reportedly would only accept a trade to the 49ers
2/28/2017 7:55:48 AM
Tomorrow is the deadline for team's to designate franchise players and the Redskins and Kirk Cousins saga still drags on. The team truly likes Cousins. But the leverage Cousins enjoys isn’t about to change, and the Redskins clearly aren’t prepared to pay him what he thinks he can get, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.
That’s why with all the options as to what can happen if he’s tagged by Wednesday’s deadline, one has a higher percentage of happening: a trade. The NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said last week that he thought there was a better chance that Cousins would be traded than that he would return. It’s hard to argue against that, and some close to Cousins say that’s what the Redskins want to do anyway, knowing that signing him to a long-term deal will be difficult. It may even be impossible, given their different positions on what his ability is worth.
As of now, some in his camp view any deal reached at the July 15 deadline as an impossibility. It certainly would take an increased offer by Washington. I don’t know that this is a universal opinion in Cousins’ camp, but the point is that based on the Redskins’ actions to date, there’s no reason to believe their offer will increase that much. They clearly view him as good, not great. And there’s no reason for Cousins to lower what he believes he should get.
There’s also the matter of past slights still bugging Cousins, including an initial offer last offseason of $12 million per year with low guarantees. It was bad at the time; it’s ridiculous now. Had the Redskins given him $18 million per year – before the Brock Osweiler deal with Houston – with solid guarantees, then there’s a good chance he would have signed (but impossible to truly know). That deal would look mighty good now.
The Redskins’ problem is that there’s only one team Cousins will sign with right now, according to one source: San Francisco. So Washington doesn’t have much bargaining power with other teams. This isn’t just about Cousins maximizing his financial value; it’s about putting himself in the best position. Reuniting with a coach (Kyle Shanahan) who loves you in an offense you love? That’s a win-win for Cousins. But it's a tough way for the Redskins to maximize his trade value on the market.
2/28/2017 7:55:48 AM
Tomorrow is the deadline for team's to designate franchise players and the Redskins and Kirk Cousins saga still drags on. The team truly likes Cousins. But the leverage Cousins enjoys isn’t about to change, and the Redskins clearly aren’t prepared to pay him what he thinks he can get, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.
That’s why with all the options as to what can happen if he’s tagged by Wednesday’s deadline, one has a higher percentage of happening: a trade. The NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said last week that he thought there was a better chance that Cousins would be traded than that he would return. It’s hard to argue against that, and some close to Cousins say that’s what the Redskins want to do anyway, knowing that signing him to a long-term deal will be difficult. It may even be impossible, given their different positions on what his ability is worth.
As of now, some in his camp view any deal reached at the July 15 deadline as an impossibility. It certainly would take an increased offer by Washington. I don’t know that this is a universal opinion in Cousins’ camp, but the point is that based on the Redskins’ actions to date, there’s no reason to believe their offer will increase that much. They clearly view him as good, not great. And there’s no reason for Cousins to lower what he believes he should get.
There’s also the matter of past slights still bugging Cousins, including an initial offer last offseason of $12 million per year with low guarantees. It was bad at the time; it’s ridiculous now. Had the Redskins given him $18 million per year – before the Brock Osweiler deal with Houston – with solid guarantees, then there’s a good chance he would have signed (but impossible to truly know). That deal would look mighty good now.
The Redskins’ problem is that there’s only one team Cousins will sign with right now, according to one source: San Francisco. So Washington doesn’t have much bargaining power with other teams. This isn’t just about Cousins maximizing his financial value; it’s about putting himself in the best position. Reuniting with a coach (Kyle Shanahan) who loves you in an offense you love? That’s a win-win for Cousins. But it's a tough way for the Redskins to maximize his trade value on the market.
Yeah I can't remember even one post saying that.
