Washington is currently a mess under owner Dan Snyder, and every subsequent report that leaks is kindling for what Mike Silver called a “dysfunctional dumpster fire.” The latest comes from ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, who is reporting quarterback Kirk Cousins “appealed personally” to owner Dan Snyder about a trade. He was effectively told to not get his hopes up about that.
Kirk Cousins appealed personally to owner Dan Snyder for a trade but was basically told not to get his hopes up, per sources.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) March 9, 2017
The San Francisco 49ers have bene viewed as the destination of choice for Cousins, but with the exclusive tag, he remains unattainable. The team could trade for him, but as Jennifer Chan reported last month, Dan Snyder’s distaste for the Shanahan family might prevent that from happening.
Cousins has not yet signed his franchise tender, and in light of the current situation, his best option is to not sign it until closer to the season. He could hold out and sign by Week 10, but at the very least, holding off signing until late August or early September might be his best option. That would put Washington in a bind without their starting QB. Holdouts are always tough, but if the starting QB is out, that’s a huge issue for the offense.
I don’t know if that will be enough to force a trade, but this situation seems entirely untenable. Any trade leverage is on the 49ers side right now. If they wait until next year, Washington has three options: 1) Tag him a third time for an insane 44 percent pay raise, 2) use the transition tag and potentially lose him to San Francisco with only a matching opportunity, or 3) let him walk and get a 2019 comp pick.
Can this really last much longer? Is Dan Snyder that obstinate?