When asked if his team would keep quarterback Kirk Cousins, Washington coach Jay Gruden couldn’t muffle a laugh.
“That’s the plan I would think,” Gruden chortled. The inadvertent mirth could be a nod to the unpredictability of Washington owner Daniel Snyder, who signed Cousins to a $24 million franchise tag before the season for the second straight year. It means Cousins could be a free agent this offseason.
Coach Kyle Shanahan’s father, Mike, drafted Cousins six years ago out of Michigan State and Kyle coached him up as an offensive coordinator, which could make the 49ers a perfect landing spot should Washington fail to sign Cousins to a long-term deal.
Logic would dictate that Cousins would get the deal he seeks in Washington, particularly after leading his team to a 2-2 record in the rugged NFC East. He’s ranked fourth in quarterback rating at 107.6, he’s completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 1,004 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception in 121 attempts.
Many have said there’s much work to be done for Cousins to sign a long-term deal in Washington and negotiations can’t begin until after the season per league rules. However, Cousins sounded like he wants to stay there during a conference call Wednesday morning with Bay Area media, mentioning his wife liking the D.C. area and the fact that the couple had a child during the team’s bye week. And that was all before touting both Gruden and the offense.
But for now, Cousins is focused on this season, rather than worrying about his future.
“There’s so much to do between now and then,” Cousins said. He said he wants to play well enough to where “Washington doesn’t want me to leave, or won’t let me leave. That’s where my focus is right now.”
Meanwhile, Redskins head coach Jay Gruden continued to praise the back-to-back franchise quarterback, especially the former Michigan State standout’s accuracy. Even when Cousins was a back up to Robert Griffin III when Gruden first became head coach in 2014, Gruden said he was “wowed” in practice by Cousins’ precision.
When it comes to that same precision, San Francisco starter Brian Hoyer has struggled mightily this season, even when the pocket is clean and his receivers are open. With a completion percentage of 59.3, Hoyer ranks 30th in that category, while Cousins is 10th. Another quarterback who might be on the 49ers’ radar this offseason, Chiefs starter Alex Smith is completing a whopping 76.6 percent of his throws.
The 49ers will get a chance to see Cousins up close this Sunday when they travel to Washington to play the Redskins.
For the call of the game with Tim Ryan and Ted Robinson, tune into 680 at 10:00am PT this Sunday: LISTEN LIVE