Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport might as well be honorary members of the 49ers’ front office. The pair of national insiders always seem to get information on San Francisco before anyone else.
Which is why it’s very noteworthy both mentioned the team will look into exploring Kirk Cousins this offseason.
Here’s Schefter first, from a Saturday article on ESPN.com:
Former Washington offensive coordinator and current Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is set to become the San Francisco 49ers’ head coach after Atlanta’s season ends. San Francisco needs a quarterback as much as any other team in the league. If Cousins is available, the 49ers would pursue him as hard as they’ve pursued Shanahan.
Even if Washington tags Cousins, San Francisco could attempt to pry him loose in a trade with a package that could include this year’s No. 2 overall draft pick. And if Washington doesn’t want to deal now, it could have issues later.
And here’s what Rapoport said on Sunday:
“One thing that Kyle Shanahan has had success with is the quarterback position. The 49ers need one. Do not be surprised if the 49ers make a run at Kirk Cousins if the Redskins do not make him their exclusive franchise player. Remember, Kyle Shanahan was integral in drafting Cousins.”
Now this could be Cousins feeding the two information, this could be pure speculation that adds up — or this story has legs and Cousins really could be under center in 2017 in San Francisco.
If the Redskins want to franchise tag Cousins, it’ll cost an astronomical $34.48 million for one season. Which is why many think he’s either getting a long term deal, or he’s getting traded.
Cousins was 83 yards away from accomplishing 5,000 yards passing in 2017. He completed 67 percent of his passes for 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. In 2015, he posted nearly identical numbers and led Washington to an NFC East Division crown. Considering the Redskins’ history of turmoil at the quarterback position, many in D.C. are begging GM Scot McCloughan to lock up Cousins to a long term deal.
But there are some around the league who think the Redskins may find themselves in an Andy Dalton situation if they do give Cousins a $100 million deal. Does he have the talent to go back and forth and win playoff games against Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford and Eli Manning? Should McCloughan try and draft “the next” Cousins to try and allocate money for other free agents such as DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon? Washington is in a sticky situation — considering it lost offensive coordinator Sean McVay to the Rams and fired defensive coordinator Joe Barry. This team may not be ready to win next year.
Mike Shanahan has gone on record multiple times and said you can win a Super Bowl with Kirk Cousins. If Kyle feels the same way, and there’s a way to get Cousins without giving up the No. 2 overall pick, the 49ers have to make that happen.
We’ll have more in-depth coverage of Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo and all the 49ers’ choices at QB. But these reports from Schefter and Rapoport make it known that this option is legitimate.