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Could Kirk Cousins be on Route to San Francisco 49ers?

By Carl Cockerham

Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws the ball as New York Giants defensive end Owa Odighizuwa (58) chases in the third quarter at FedEx Field. The Giants won 19-10. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws the ball as New York Giants defensive end Owa Odighizuwa (58) chases in the third quarter at FedEx Field. The Giants won 19-10. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kyle Shanahan will soon to take the head coaching job in San Francisco. So everyone wants to know what he’ll do about his quarterback situation. And now, rumor has it that he plans to pursue Kirk Cousins.

Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan will be the San Francisco 49ers’ next head coach. And it has been widely reported that he will have a heavy hand in finding his quarterback. As we all know, the 2017 draft class is pretty weak at quarterback.

So Shanahan could be looking at other options to address the all important quarterback position. And the first name to come up in all of that is Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins. Shanahan worked with him while he was with the Redskins.

But there’s no chance for this when the Redskins have a franchise tag to put on him, right?

Well, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, there is a chance this happens. It wouldn’t surprised him if the Redskins don’t make him their exclusive franchise player. According to Rapoport, Shanahan was was “integral” in the selection of Cousins in the draft.

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The Browns have the same situation with head coach Hue Jackson and potentially soon-to-be-traded quarterback AJ McCarron. Cousins knows Shanahan’s system and, depending on what could be the best quarterback to hit the open market in 2017.

Cousins threw for 9,083 yards, 54 touchdowns and just 23 interceptions over his last two seasons. He completed nearly 70 percent of his passes and the Redskins went 17-14-1 in that time too. But all this is up to the Redskins, who have that tag.

It’s not so simple for the Redskins to keep Cousins or for the 49ers to pry him away. The Redskins can tag him and hold out for a valuable draft pick. But if the 49ers don’t do a deal, the Redskins have to pay Cousins in the $20-$24 million range.

That is the floor of any long-term deal since the Redskins tagged him in 2016. The Redskins also have to be careful because they could lose him for nothing in 2018. This year is the last year the team can put the franchise tag on him.

Stay tuned!