Former Washington coach Jay Gruden joined Grant and Danny on Washington D.C.’s 106.7 FM “The Fan” radio station on Thursday to discuss former franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins ahead of his nighttime tilt with the Vikings against the Eagles.
Cousins, who enjoyed great success under Gruden in Washington, could have been traded to the 49ers in 2017, netting a significant return to the franchise. Instead, former owner Dan Snyder and former team executive Bruce Allen let Cousins walk in free agency a year later, and all Washington got in return was a compensatory third-round pick as a result.
“I won’t say who contacted me, but I was contacted by someone [in San Francisco] who told me they were very interested,” Gruden began. “He was getting ready to go on his second franchise tag, and I know they wanted him. The Shanahans love Kirk and he loves them, and I don’t blame them; they brought him in here and taught him some good ball, and we were fortunate to keep Kirk and work with him.”
As for the return? According to Gruden, it was more than just the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft.
“They would’ve given up way more than that. You’re talking about a $150 million quarterback. You’re going to get two [first-round picks] and a player, or two ones and a [second-round pick]. You look at all the teams that are struggling, what don’t they have? He had opportunities to go to San Francisco, the Jets, Minnesota. We could’ve traded him and made our team better. Instead, we got a compensatory third-round pick. It makes no sense.”
When asked why the trade wasn’t made and Cousins was allowed to walk, Gruden pointed to pride from Snyder and Allen.
“[Snyder and Allen] didn’t like the Shanahans and didn’t want them to get Kirk. It’s a shame. We had such a hot commodity, a young talented player with a bright future ahead of him, and we got nothing for him. That’s the worst decision we made as a franchise. A conditional third rounder? The way to handle that is to maximize your return.”
The third-round pick was later dealt by Washington to acquire quarterback Alex Smith from the Chiefs, but considering what was left on the table, it sounds like a gigantic swing-and-miss by the franchise’s previous front office.
