Kirk Cousins could be the most highly sought after quarterback on the free agent market. The current Washington Redskins backup certainly wants to be, but the team has other plans for him. After demonstrating potential as a starter while filling in for the injured Robert Griffin III, Cousins formally requested a trade so he could have the chance to be a full-time starter elsewhere. However, that is simply not in the plans for the Washington Redskins.
New head coach Jay Gruden has already said there is no quarterback competition in Washington. Griffin is the face of the franchise and he is the starter for the team moving forward. This leaves Cousins as the permanent backup, something he is not enjoying. Despite asking the team for a trade in the offseason, the Redskins are making it known the quarterback is not available.
"Nothing changes from the day I was drafted," said Cousins on Sirius XM radio. "There's no chance to compete, so if I can't get it in D.C., I'd be open to having that chance somewhere else. I just wanted to make sure my opinion was known to my agent and to the Redskins. I wanted to be proactive. My desire was to communicate my willingness to be traded and my desire to compete. I'd love the opportunity to be a starting quarterback. I'm not entitled to that, but just the chance to compete to know if I can play at a high level."
The Washington Post is reporting the Redskins are not granting Cousins' request for a trade, stating the quarterback is "going nowhere." Washington's reluctance to trade Cousins certainly makes sense. In two years, Griffin's injury history is not great. However, Cousins is worth nothing more than a fourth-round draft pick the team originally spent on him. His time as a starter was average, not great. If Washington felt they could get a first round pick, a deal might be made, but they cannot so Cousins stays.
So for every team that was interested in acquiring Cousins, the option to get Ryan Mallett is still there. The New England Patriots will send away the backup quarterback once the right deal comes along. Mallett has been sitting behind Tom Brady for the past three seasons and has likely picked up a few notes. He has not time as a starter, but being Brady's backup accounts for more.
The Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans could all be options for Ryan Mallett in 2014. All three teams have a former established starter that could help the young quarterback along. The Patriots will not let the quarterback go for cheap, but several teams could be interested.
