No trade offers made for Redskins’ Kirk Cousins, Scot McCloughan says

For several offseasons now, Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins has been the subject of trade rumors. This spring, however, he has not yet been the subject of any formal trade talks, according to general manager Scot McCloughan.

In a pre-draft press conference Monday, McCloughan preached patience with the fourth-year quarterback, insisting that he, like starter Robert Griffin III and fellow backup Colt McCoy, is still a young player learning a relatively new system. The Redskins want to give Cousins every opportunity to develop, though McCloughan admitted that no player — Cousins included — is off limits in trade conversations.

“We’ll always take phone calls for any of our players and listen to it, and if it’s a win-win for the organization, then we’ll definitely consider it,” McCloughan said. “But we’re not trying to force the hand on anybody right now. This is my first season and first offseason to see them, and like I said, he’s a young quarterback. He’s had success in college. He’s had some success in the NFL and you can’t give up on those guys too early.”

Before taking questions from reporters, McCloughan announced that the Redskins will pick up the fifth-year option in Griffin’s contract, making him the only quarterback on the team under contract beyond 2015. Cousins is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and McCoy re-signed with the Redskins on a one-year deal last month.

McCloughan and coach Jay Gruden have each said they are not opposed to carrying three quarterbacks on the roster this season. McCloughan, who joined the team as general manager in January, also did not rule out the possibility that the Redskins could select a quarterback in the NFL draft, which begins Thursday.

“We like the three we have, but again, we’re not going to pass on a good football player. There’s no reason to,” McCloughan said.

---

SEE ALSO: Scot McCloughan says Redskins open trading in 2015 NFL draft

---

Cousins was selected in the fourth round of the 2012 draft, exactly 100 picks after Griffin. He started five games in 2014 after Griffin dislocated his left ankle in Week 2 and was impressive at times, but he threw too many interceptions and was later benched in favor of McCoy. When all three quarterbacks were healthy late in the season, Cousins was listed third on the depth chart.

At the owners’ meetings in Phoenix last month, Gruden said he would like to see the same traits from Cousins in 2015 as the other quarterbacks on the roster, namely confidence and decisiveness.

“You’ve go to know where to go, when to go with it and not be afraid to pull the trigger,” Gruden said. “So all these guys, the more they see how this looks, the more decisive, more confident they are, the better they’ll be.”