Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Jay Gruden reveals how much Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers were willing to give up for Kirk Cousins
Nov 14, 2021 at 1:26 PM
•
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Upon being hired as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Kyle Shanahan planned to be patient and build a roster in preparation for potentially inserting quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins was with Washington at the time, but it was a near-certainty that the relationship would eventually end. The 49ers coached rolled with placeholders until that time presented itself.
The 49ers have admitted that they looked into potentially trading for Cousins. However, with the situation in Washington speeding toward an eventual divorce, it seemed to make more sense to wait and see what happened. There was also the obstacle of the strained relationship between the Shanahans and Washington.
Cousins never ended up in Santa Clara with Shanahan. The free-agent quarterback eventually signed a fully-guaranteed three-year, $84 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018. San Francisco was never an option as the team had already traded for Jimmy Garoppolo.
Former Washington head coach Jay Gruden, now the offensive coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined "The Kevin Sheehan Show" and revealed what the 49ers were willing to offer Washington in exchange for Cousins. Of course, we already know that then-general manager Bruce Allen and owner Dan Snyder had no interest in dealing the quarterback to Shanahan. So it didn't matter what the Niners were willing to offer.
What was the offer, though? Gruden claims Shanahan and general manager John Lynch were willing to send Washington a haul of draft capital for Cousins (h/t to
Matt Hladik of The Spun). That reportedly included two first-round picks and may have included multiple second-round selections on top of that.
"
Obviously dealing with the Shanahans was something that [Allen and Snyder] did not want to do," Gruden said via Jake Russell of The Washington Post. "I don't think that they could stomach having Kirk Cousins be successful for Kyle Shanahan… and I think there was still some hope that we could re-sign him."
Washington was willing to pass on an excellent package of draft capital to keep a quarterback who was going to leave anyway. It would be interesting to know how the 49ers fanbase would have reacted to the team surrendering that much for Cousins, who wasn't a popular option among The Faithful.
The 49ers ended up reaching the Super Bowl during the 2019 season with Garoppolo. This offseason, the team surrendered multiple first-round picks and a third-rounder to move up in the draft to select quarterback Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick.
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
Silver: New 49ers intel reveals potential Brandon Aiyuk trade still in play
When asked about the possibility of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk not being on the San Francisco 49ers roster on Friday morning, general manager John Lynch responded, "I wouldn't anticipate that."
Lynch assured reporters that signing Aiyuk to a long-term extension is a priority, stating, "And our wish is that he's here and a part of the Niners for the rest of his career. We're working through that."
While Lynch didn't elaborate on the conversations occurring behind closed doors, Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that a potential trade remains a
Breaking down the 49ers drafts under John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan
We are less than one week away from the NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers have their first day-one draft pick since 2021. That was the year they selected QB Trey Lance number three overall. The trade-up to get Lance cost the 49ers their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. And now that they are back in the first round, at pick 31, fans are anxious to see what the team does with the pick. And with former assistant GM, Adam Peters, now in Washington, it will be interesting to see how well the 49ers draft without Peters in the room.
We looked back at the seven drafts GM John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan have led to see what information we could pull from those drafts. There were plenty of hits, plenty of misses, and a few surprises along the way. The draft picks are
Brock Purdy hopes Kyle Shanahan makes addition to 49ers playbook
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for a franchise-record 4,280 yards last season, leading the team to the Super Bowl and earning his first Pro Bowl selection. He held onto the football 39 times on the ground, rushing for 144 yards and scoring twice. This marked a significant improvement over his rookie 2022 campaign when he had 22 carries for 13 yards and a score.
Purdy further displayed his athleticism during the 49ers' playoff game against the Detroit Lions last season, helping engineer a comeback victory while rushing for 48 yards on five carries.
On Tuesday morning, Purdy joined the "Pat McAfee Show," acknowledging that he believes he can contribute more rushing yards if called upon. However, that decision rests with head coach Kyle Shanahan,
49ers address both sides of the ball in Kiper and Yates 3-round mock draft
We're just 10 days away from the start of the 2024 NFL Draft. While many gain more confidence about their projections for the top of the first round, the picture of what might happen further down remains murky. Most predict the San Francisco 49ers will use their first selection, No. 31 overall, on an offensive lineman. However, an early run on the position may alter those plans. The 49ers may address another position, or they may have to move up to secure a top prospect.
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates recently revealed a joint three-round mock draft, examining the top 100 selections and forecasting
