Kirk Cousins. It's a frequently-linked name to the San Francisco 49ers, mostly due to head coach Kyle Shanahan having previously worked with the quarterback before and the respect he still has for Cousins.
Shanahan has even admitted that the initial plan for the 49ers rebuild was to eventually acquire Cousins, either via a trade or in free agency. That was before Jimmy Garoppolo entered the picture. It also meant that when Garoppolo struggled, there was mention of Cousins, for whom some speculated Shanahan still pined.
Shanahan's initial desire to add Cousins also led to the belief that the 49ers head coach was inflexible in the type of quarterback he desired—a smart pocket passer who can run his offense to perfection and limit mistakes. Many believed that the ability to make things happen with his legs was low on the list of desired traits.
Of course, facing Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl and the praising of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in December have made many believe that Shanahan might be less stringent in his requirements for the position.
"The skill set that he has, with his mentality, you don't see many guys that big, who can run that fast, who also have the mentality to run people over," Shanahan said of the Bills quarterback in December. "So, if you sit there and think he's going to go down easy, you're going to get extremely embarrassed because he can run you over."
Shanahan has acknowledged that his evaluation of players—not just quarterbacks—continually evolves. The head coach is trying to dispel the notion that he only wants a certain quarterback type—someone who fits the Cousins mold.
On Monday, the coach wanted to make certain that everyone knew he wasn't closed-minded to the idea of acquiring a quarterback who could beat you both with his arm and his legs.
"They both go hand in hand," Shanahan said. "To say that my prototypical guy is someone like Kirk Cousins, I mean, that's just everyone know[ing] my history with Kirk. We drafted him in the fourth round at Washington. I got to coach him for three games. We were fired. I left. Thought we'd have a chance to get him here in free agency, and I would have loved to have him in free agency until Jimmy came along the year before because I thought we could have won with him, just like Minnesota has.
"I think Kirk does a good job for whatever team he plays for every year. There's a number of quarterbacks like that, but that's the only one I've been associated with because people thought I was trying to bring him here, which I was at the time. It's not because that's how you draw it up.
"If you're going to draw it up, you're going to draw the biggest, fastest, strongest, and best quarterback in the pocket. So, I think that's pretty ridiculous to say that. But I also tell you, I love Kirk. I know I'm not allowed to talk about other players, but Kirk's a hell of a player, and a lot of people would be lucky to have a quarterback like that."
The thought that Shanahan seeks a Cousins-type quarterback has led to speculation that the 49ers traded up in the draft to acquire Mac Jones of Alabama. But some passers are considered better athletes, like Justin Fields of Ohio State and Trey Lance of North Dakota State. Both may be available after Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson presumably go one and two, respectively.
Shanahan wanted to make sure no one assumes he limits his choices and every option is on the table.