Kirk Cousins is still with the Washington Redskins which has surprised many people. The backup quarterback saw his stock rise last season when he stepped in for the injured Robert Griffin III several times. While not blowing anyone away with his stats, Cousins displayed enough potential to make him believe a deal could be made in the offseason. However, Cousins is still a backup and head coach Jay Gruden says it is because of a lack of interest.
While speaking at the NFL meetings, Gruden touched on the topic of Cousins very briefly. With many teams in search of a new starting quarterback, it was assumed that Cousins could be the first one dealt. However, he remains in Washington as Gruden claims no one has called about his availability. John Keim of ESPN.com reports that Gruden says no team has called about Cousins and the Redskins have no plans on letting the quarterback go. He continued saying that with the way Griffin plays the position, having a quality backup is a high priority.
For a minute, it was looking like Cousins could go by way of Josh McCown. The quarterbacks have both stepped in for starters and performed very well. McCown was able to parlay that into a starting job down in Tampa Bay, so it was believed Cousins could do the same. The quarterback even requested a move after Gruden declared there was no quarterback competition taking place on the Redskins and Griffin would remain in charge.
"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."
Cousins will not be traded, not this year anyways. At most, the quarterback can hope that he has to step in for Griffin for a game or two and performs well. That could help drive up interest and get him a deal next year after teams decide if their rookie investments are worth it.
