“I don’t know that Cousins is an upgrade over Jimmy G”: Rapoport explains why 49ers trade seems unlikely

NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport joined the Pat McAfee Show on Monday and was asked about the rumors surrounding Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and the San Francisco 49ers. To clarify, this Cousins-to-49ers talk is all based on speculation. The chatter started almost immediately following the trade that sent quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions to the Los Angeles Rams.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan has a history with Cousins and envisioned him as the eventual quarterback for the 49ers upon landing the head coaching job. That was the plan — get to the point where the team could sign Cousins. That was until Jimmy Garoppolo became available.

Shanahan loves Cousins. As much as fans don't want to hear it, whenever rumors surrounding a Cousins trade emerge, San Francisco will be discussed.

Actually, whenever trade rumors surround any quarterback, the 49ers are going to be discussed. That's because of Garoppolo, who wins football games but can't consistently stay on the field. Despite leading San Francisco to a Super Bowl during the 2019 season, the quarterback has missed significant time over the past three seasons.

Rapoport was asked point-blank on the Pat McAfee Show if Cousins will be the quarterback for the 49ers next season (h/t to Alex Espinoza of NBC Sports).

"I don't sense that at all," Rapoport responded. "I would never say anything is impossible, as you guys know. This NFL world has basically taught us that anyone can be traded. That one, I would be really surprised about for a couple of reasons.

"One, I'm not sure that benefits the Vikings. And I don't know that Cousins is an upgrade over Jimmy G. Like, when they're both healthy, and they're both playing, are we sure Cousins is that big of an upgrade for what it's going to cost?"

If social media is any indication, a trade for Cousins would be heavily criticized by 49ers fans, who have never fully understood Shanahan's infatuation with the quarterback. Despite initially owning the No. 2 overall pick (the Niners would eventually trade down one spot) in 2017, San Francisco didn't heavily look into drafting a quarterback because of the plan to eventually acquire Cousins. That meant passing on talents like Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson.

Oh, and the 49ers used that top pick on defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. Then they drafted quarterback C.J. Beathard in the third round.

One edge Cousins does have over Garoppolo? Durability. Cousins has missed just one start in the past six seasons, and that one game was a meaningless Week 17 game in 2019. The Vikings' playoff position had already been determined by then. By comparison, Garoppolo has missed 23 games over the past three years.