Jan. 25 (UPI) — With his former coaches scattered around the NFL, the Washington Redskins won’t look as familiar in 2017 for Kirk Cousins.
Could Cousins be the next to depart Landover, following Sean McVay and former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan?
He’s open to it.
The Redskins’ free agent gunslinger told reporters Wednesday ahead of the Pro Bowl that he doesn’t know where he’ll be next season.
“I don’t know,” Cousins told NFL.com’s Conor Orr after a Pro Bowl practice in Orlando. “I think you have to have an open mind but ultimately it’s not in my hands in the sense that the team is going to make that decision and I’ll react accordingly.”
“I’d love to have a crystal ball that tells me what I’m going to do next year and 50 years after that, but that’s not life. And that’s not life in this league. I’ll just take it a year at a time and trust in the Lord’s plan.”
Cousins, 28, played 2016 under the franchise tag, cashing in for $20 million. He completed a league-high 69.8 percent of his passes in 2015 and amassed a career-high 4,917 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 2016. If Cousins gets the franchise tag in 2017, he’ll make about $24 million. The Redskins would be charged $34.48 million to franchise tag the quarterback in 2018. He is free to sign with any team following that season, if the team cannot lock him up.
The San Francisco 49ers are armed with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, and could decide to use it to acquire Cousins, even if the Redskins give him the franchise tag. Shanahan, who served as the Redskins’ offensive coordinator from 2010 to 2013, is available Saturday for his second interview with the 49ers for its head coaching vacancy.
On Tuesday, Redskins coach Jay Gruden said he expects to have Cousins back to his huddle.
“We fully anticipate Kirk coming back,” Gruden told the Washington Post’s Mike Jones.
Cousins is replacing Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in this year’s Pro Bowl. The contest is set for 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29 at the Orlando Citrus Bowl.
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