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Kirk Cousins denies asking to be traded

Posted at 4:15 PM, Mar 14, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-14 16:20:58-04

Kirk Cousins ran for a 19-yard touchdown in last week’s loss vs. Detroit. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – Kirk wants to be wanted.

Less than one week after ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins asked team owner Dan Snyder to trade him, Captain Kirk says that’s not exactly how it went down.

“I did inquire if there was any interest in trading me to get an understanding of their perspective,” Cousins told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on his Know them from Adam podcast. “The answer I got back was Mr. Snyder communicated his belief in me and desire for me to remain a Redskin.”

“I’ve had really positive interactions with Mr. Snyder throughout this entire offseason,” Cousins revealed to Schefter. “The negotiation process in general has been very positive for me, and I’m happy with how things have transpired so far. As Chris Mortensen reported — I’m not sure how it got out — I did just inquire to Mr. Snyder and to Bruce Allen just if there was any interest in trading me, just to try to get an understanding of their perspective.

“And the answer I got back was Mr. Snyder communicated his belief in me, and his desire for me to remain a Redskin, and his desire to help me by surrounding the quarterback position with all the players and coaches that you need to succeed. And that’s the kind of message to want to hear from the owner of your team. So it was a very positive conversation in the sense that he spoke belief in me and really affirmed me in my role. I felt wanted by him and by the team coming away from the call.”

Cousins, who signed his franchise contract last week, and his agent have until July 15th to reach a longterm deal with the Redskins – or else he’ll play the 2017 season on a one-year contract (worth $23.94 million).

“Do you see yourself in Washington long-term, Kirk?,” Schefter asked.

“No, I see myself keeping an open mind,” Cousins replied. “I see myself going through this negotiation process as there’s still time until the July 15 deadline. And from there you still have a whole 16-game season, and hopefully more games than that. And then from there, you can still be tagged again. And this entire process for me, from a contractual standpoint, has been framed by the franchise tag rules. It hasn’t really been framed by my market value. I would be content to go to the market and see what that value is and settle for whatever that is. But because of the franchise tag rules, and the team’s use of the tag, that just hasn’t taken place.