What Would It Take to Part Ways With Kirk Cousins?

The rumors surrounding Kyle Shanahan's possible move to San Francisco has put the DC area into a frenzy.  The Redskins and their fan base are now on high alert as the iterations and possibilities of what will happen to Kirk Cousins grew exponentially when it was reported earlier this week that the 49ers may want Kyle Shanahan to be their next head coach.  The threat of Cousins's former mentor moving to a team with a ton of cap space and a horrible quarterback situation has now put the genuine fear within the fan base that Scot McCloughan may willingly give up Kirk Cousins if the price is right.  The general options for what could happen with Kirk Cousins has already been discussed, but what has not been entered into the narrative so far is what would it take for the Redskins to trade Kirk Cousins?  Shanahan moving to the 49ers gives McCloughan an easy target for trade negotiations given Shanahan's familiarity with, and affinity for, Kirk Cousins but there are other quarterback starved teams that may be willing to hear the Redskins out on a deal.  So let's have some fun and come up with some trade partners and scenarios for Kirk Cousins that would get Dan Snyder so excited he would need to change his sheets in the middle of the night.  Just as a point before we get started, my position is that we sign Cousins to a 6 year $120 Million contract and keep him long term. These trade scenarios are purely academic conjecture.

Kirk Cousins for Draft Picks

San Francisco 49ers: Cousins to the 49ers for either their 1st Round Pick in 2017 and 2018 OR their 1st and 2nd round pick in 2017 and their 2nd Round pick in 2018

Obviously if any team gives the Redskins two first round picks for Kirk Cousins it is hard to argue that it would be a bad trade, and if anyone would be willing to do that it is Kyle Shanahan.  But it may also be advantageous for the Redskins to consider Option B in this scenario.  The 49ers hold the second overall pick in this year's draft, meaning that if they gave us both their first and second round pick this year it would give us four picks in the first two rounds and three picks in the top 40.  Add in another second rounder next year that could be around the same spot as this year, and it may be hard for McCloughan to pass on that.  This is the minimum the Redskins should be looking at for a trade for Cousins and the 49ers may be the most likely suitor given their situation and cap space.

Chicago Bears: Cousins to the Bears for either their 1st Round Pick in 2017 and 2018 OR their 1st and 2nd round pick in 2017 and their 2nd Round pick in 2018

The Bears hold the 3rd overall pick this year, so these choices would be enticing for the same reasons as they were enticing for a possible trade with the 49ers.  It would give the Redskins either two first round picks or four picks in the first two rounds this year and three in the first 40.  The Redskins will not have a cushy middle man in this deal as they would with San Francisco, but the Bears may even be worse off than the 49ers as far as personnel goes.  Their current depth chart lists Matt Barkley and some guy named David Fales as their only QB's.  Maybe Fales is the next Jeff Garcia, but more than likely the Bears would have to at least hear McCloughan out if he offers Cousins up to them for this price.


New York Jets: Cousins to the Jets for either their 1st Round Pick in 2017 and 2018 OR their 1st and 2nd round pick in 2017 and their 2nd Round pick in 2018.

The Jets may finally get what they were looking for prior to the 2015 season.  With Bryce Petty injured and Christian Hackenberg as their only other option, the Jets are in the same boat as the Bears.  They should at least entertain this offer from McCloughan if he comes calling, and with the Jets sitting on the 6th overall pick this year it would still be a win for the Skins if they can pull this off.

Cleveland Browns: Cousins to the Browns for either their 1st Round Pick (12th overall) in 2017 and 2018 OR their 1st and 2nd round pick in 2017 and their 2nd and 3rd Round pick in 2018

This would be the kicker of all kickers.  Cousins would, yet again, have to play alongside Robert Griffin.  Roger Goodell should force this trade for the sheer circus it would create in Cleveland.  The Browns are not parting ways with the first overall pick, but lucky for the Redskins that the Browns acquired the Eagles's 2017 first round pick (12th overall) when the Eagles traded up to get Carson Wentz last year. Since the pick is outside the top 10 the Redskins should ask for another 2018 3rd rounder if the Browns refuse to give up two first rounders, but rest assured that if negotiations start going sour with Cousins and his agent, McCloughan could threaten this trade in an attempt to drive down price.

Cousins for Player to be Named Right Now

The Redskins were a part of the last truly great player-for-player trade in the NFL when they shipped Champ Bailey to Denver for Clinton Portis.  They could do this again with Cousins because there are some teams in need of a QB that have players in positions that the Redskins desperately need to fill.  And aren't the Redskins long over due for an off season move that makes everyone go crazy? Here are three trades for players that could make NFL analysts look like they opened the Ark of the Covenant after they get done talking about it.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Cousins and The Redskins's 2017 1st Round pick to Jacksonville for Jalen Ramsey and the Jags's 2017 3rd Round Pick.

This would shore up the other side of the defense by having Ramsey play opposite Josh Norman.  McCloughan is not in the business of giving up picks, but Ramsey was Jacksonville's first round pick last year and they may be unwilling to part ways with him so soon.  The Redskins may have to give up that first round pick to sweeten pot, but they would be getting a young play maker that would add depth to the secondary and be under contract for the next three seasons.  There are also rumblings that the Jags should move on from Blake Bortles and the Redskins could be all too happy to oblige.

Arizona Cardinals: Cousins to Arizona for Patrick Peterson and Arizona's 2017 3rd Round Pick.

Getting another shutdown corner to play opposite Josh Norman would be a great luxury, and the Cardinals need to think about life after Carson Palmer.  Cousins would be a huge addition for them, although there may be some PTSD from the Kevin Kolb trade that is almost similar to this one.  Peterson may be older, but he could play with Norman and not have to be THE guy all the time.  His contract is also favorable as he only has $8 Million in dead money left on his contract after this year, and that number drops to $4 Million in 2018.  His cap hit, though, is rather large (around $13 Million over the next four years) but could you imagine the off season hype of having Josh Norman and Patrick Peterson as the Redskins's starting cornerbacks?

LA Rams: Cousins and The Redskins's 2017 1st round pick for Aaron Donald and their 2018 2nd Round Pick.

I know.  Another scenario where The Redskins are trading a first round pick along with Cousins.  I know.  Aaron Donald is a 4-3 defensive tackle who may be too small and inexperienced to play nose tackle in a 3-4.  I know.  The Rams already have Jared Goff who was the number one overall pick last year.  But if you hadn't noticed, the Rams do not have a fist round pick this year and they were not particularly good on offense in 2016.  With Sean McVay at the helm, the Redskins may be able to tug at the heart strings of the head coach and offer him the quarterback he helped mold over the last two years.  Goff did not exactly wow people, and with the Chargers moving in on their turf the Rams may need to make a splash to sustain interest in the team.  Aaron Donald will bring a pass rushing persona onto the Redskins defensive line that could boost the play of those around him, and his contract would allow for more maneuverability in free agency.

So there you have it.  All of these trades are speculative at best, but the Redskins should not give Cousins up for anything less that what has been stated above.  Cousins should be resigned long term, but when has this team done right by any quarterback?  More than likely the Redskins will place a non exclusive franchise tag on him and let the bidding begin.