WalterFootball: Redskins Won't Trade Kirk Cousins

It has become clear that the 2013 NFL Draft class is lacking in quarterback talent. The top signal-caller, West Virginia's Geno Smith, is not a lock to go with the first-overall pick, and there is no established second quarterback who has proven to be worthy of a first-round selection.

If it weren't for the demand for signal-callers, there would only be one quarterback selected in the top 32 this coming April. There are plenty of teams around the league that are in dire need of a quarterback, so the trade market for veteran quarterbacks could be very active this offseason.

One of the most intriguing backups in the NFL is Washington Redskins second-year pro Kirk Cousins. After trading a king's ransom to land Robert Griffin III with the second-overall pick, the Redskins shocked many by using their next selection on Cousins in the fourth round. General manager Bruce Allen received a lot of criticism for not addressing a different need, but Allen stayed true to his draft board and looks like a genius in hindsight.

While Griffin was banged up late in the season, Cousins (6-3, 209) was a clutch replacement to help Washington win the NFC East. He completed 69 percent of his passes (33-of-48) for 466 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. Cousins has three seasons remaining on a four-year, $2.5 million contract he signed before his first training camp. As a starting quarterback that would be an insane value from a salary cap perspective. Cousins is extremely intriguing for a team looking to acquire a quarterback.

Sources have told WalterFootball.com that Cousins' football IQ is tremendous. Having him in the meeting room helped Griffin to develop, and the two quarterbacks worked extremely well together. With Griffin coming off a knee injury, Cousins should see a lot of good developmental snaps with the starters during the spring OTAs and mini-camps.

Even though there are plenty of teams that could be interested in trading for Cousins, sources have told WalterFootball.com that the Redskins have zero interest in dealing him. Allen will assuredly listen to what another team would offer him, but Washington will not be shopping Cousins. He could be a needed fill-in for the Redskins in 2013 and they love having a reliable backup like Cousins.

Thus, the 2014 or 2015 offseason would be the time to shop Cousins. If he gets on the field and performs well, obviously he will drive up the price tag and Washington could hope to regain some of the first-round picks the team used to land Griffin.

With Griffin firmly in place as the Redskins' franchise quarterback, Washington has the ability to follow Ron Wolf's example in Green Bay by developing and eventually trading quality backup quarterbacks. While Brett Favre was leading the Packers to the postseason on an annual basis, Wolf developed and traded away Mark Brunell, Matt Hasselbeck and Aaron Brooks.

The Redskins could easily follow that model, but probably won't start down that road for another year or two.

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Burgundy Burner said:

Sources have told WalterFootball.com that Cousins' football IQ is tremendous. Having him in the meeting room helped Griffin to develop, and the two quarterbacks worked extremely well together.

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Boone said:

Cousins is the real deal. To continue with the 'Captain Obvious' theme, had it not been for Griff's devastating injury, it's hard not to imagine Cousins garnering serious attention. Even in the absence of RG3's injury, I think it would take a BIG offer to ply Cousins away from the Redskins. Say what you want about Cousins deserving a chance to be a starter, that takes a backseat to the Redskins need to get a bigtime payday to release him.

Hold tight Redskins. You may need Cousins in 2013, and even if you don't, his value is just going to grow.

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Fear The Spear said:

Part II in this series :

"Alfred Morris expected to be invited back to Training Camp in 2013"

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