San Francisco 49ers
The connection is real here. New 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan served as the Redskins’ offensive coordinator in Cousins’ first two seasons in the NFL. The two built up a strong relationship, as mentioned by Cousins when he just recently praised the 49ers’ new brass, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch included.
“Oh, I’ve always been a big fan of Kyle’s (Shanahan). He’s been around this league for a long time. I’ve always spoken highly of him from the day I was picked,” Cousins said earlier in February. “I loved his system right away and saw it successfully run with Robert Griffin III, I’ve now seen it successfully run with Matt Ryan.”
That’s some strong praise for a player that’s not even in this team. It also suggests that Cousins could very well be interested in joining Shanahan in San Francisco.
The 49ers also have both the need and an ability to acquire someone of Cousins’ ilk. With Colin Kaepernick expected to opt out of his contract, San Francisco doesn’t boast a single quarterback that will be under contract when March comes calling. It will also possess north of $100 million in cap room once Kap does opt out.
While San Francisco likely won’t give up two first-round picks by signing Cousins after he receives the franchise tag, there’s a possibility that the 49ers and Redskins could work out a trade. San Francisco currently holds the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.