ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reported last week that the Redskins don’t plan to move Kirk Cousins, on the heels of another report indicating that the team would seek a second-rounder in any trade. At the time, it looked like an attempt by Washington to regain some leverage in potential talks, and a story from Mark Maske of the Washington Post today lends credence to that idea. Maske hears from “multiple people familiar with the situation” that the Redskins remain open to the possibility of trading Cousins, even if the club isn’t actively pursuing a deal.
“It’s not a case of looking to trade him,” said one of Maske’s sources. “That’s not the situation. But it’s not a case of there being absolutely no interest in a trade under any circumstances, either. It would all depend on what someone might offer.”
Here are a few more updates from around the NFC East, including another note on the Redskins’ backup quarterback:
- Appearing on 106.7 The Fan in Washington recently, Cousins reiterated that he’d like to start, for the Redskins or another team, but downplayed the idea that he’s pushing for a trade or that his desire for a starting job is newsworthy (link via Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post).
- Cousins on wanting to start: “If there’s any NFL quarterback who doesn’t want what I just communicated, I would seriously question – as a fan base or as an organization – what good he’s doing for your team. Now that being said, I’m gonna communicate my desire to play in a classy way. I don’t want to do it in a way that’s gonna hurt our organization or reflect poorly on me or the team. But yeah, I absolutely want to play, and that’s not a complicated fact.”
- No deal is imminent for Brian Orakpo and the Redskins, but the two sides are talking and will continue to talk, a person familiar with the negotiations tells Maske.
- Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones suggested that the Cowboys’ cap constraints aren’t as bad as people think. “The only thing the cap issues do with us is we can’t be big players in free agency,” Jones said, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “And I think history will tell you that being a big player in free agency is overrated and usually detrimental to the growth of a franchise, because a lot of these guys are leaving their other team for a reason.”
- While it seems likely that Justin Tuck and Jon Beason will hit the open market on March 11, Giants GM Jerry Reese didn’t entirely close the door on the possibility of re-signing them before or after that date, says Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Sulia link).
- Dan Graziano of ESPN.com explores a few reasons why the Giants won’t feel compelled to extend Eli Manning‘s contract this offseason.