Kirk Cousins trade rumors have been coming up in Washington since he was drafted behind Robert Griffin III and now with Jay Gruden taking over the Redskins and making RG3 the starter, the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers all could be in play for a deal for the backup QB.
According to ESPN.com, Cousins said that he would be open to a trade this offseason with Griffin being looked at as the starting quarterback in 2014 and this comes after Cousins got more playing time than expected last season when RG3 was shut down for the final stretch of games after coming back from his knee surgery. Cousins and other players are not eligible to be traded until the new league year begins in March and the teams in the top 10 looking for a quarterback could be in the mix for a deal instead of drafting someone in April. The Houston Texans have the number one pick in the draft and they are expected to draft a quarterback and names like Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles are all in the mix.
Bill O'Brien has said that he could be willing to trade the number one pick and while that would likely be too much for just Cousins, the team could try and package other picks for him while taking another player at number one, someone like Jadeveon Clowney or Sammy Watkins. The top choice for Cousins could be the Cleveland Browns after they hired his former offensive coordinator in Kyle Shanahan and since they have an extra first round pick after making the Trent Richardson deal, the two sides could have a mutual interest in making a move. The Redskins would love to get back into the first round after getting the second pick this season and giving it up to the St. Louis Rams and with so many teams in the top 10 needing a quarterback, someone like Cousins with some NFL experience could be in high demand.
Shanahan was offensive coordinator for Cousins the past two years and he had some nice performances for the Redskins while playing for Griffin and after bringing in Gruden, he could put any idea about Griffin not starting to rest by dealing Cousins. Over the past two seasons Cousins has played in eight games for the Redskins and started four, passing for over 1,300 yards and adding eight touchdowns along with 10 interceptions.
The Raiders have Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin but by all reports they are in the mix for a quarterback this offseason, while the Cleveland Browns appear to be back at square one with a new coach and Brandon Weeden not improving enough last season. The Vikings have Christian Ponder and Matt Cassel but they too have a new head coach and Mike Zimmer could look to start from scratch as well and the Redskins are coming into this next season after going just 3-13 and finishing last in the NFC East. Cousins likely will be traded for a second round pick, but there is a chance a first rounder could get moved for him if the right deal comes along.