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Report: Cousins would only accept trade to 49ers

Brad Mills / USA TODAY Sports

All indications are that the Washington Redskins will use the franchise tag to retain Kirk Cousins for the second time in as many offseasons. Still without a long-term agreement as Wednesday's deadline to apply the one-year tender approaches, the move would give the two sides another few months to negotiate.

There's also the possibility that another team could swoop in with a trade offer at that point, as several teams will be in the market for an established starter. But any deal would have to be contingent upon Cousins signing a new contract.

That all-important factor could seemingly reduce the list of suitors in a big way.

As things currently stand, Cousins would only be willing to sign a new contract with the San Francisco 49ers, ESPN's John Keim reports, citing a source.

Talk of a potential trade have begun to mount in recent weeks and will continue to seem more logical the longer Cousins and the Redskins go without an agreement. The clear lack of progress in that regard will at some point have to be taken as a sign that at least one of the two sides isn't sold on the long-term marriage.

Cousins could conceivably warm up to other possibilities if and when they present themselves, but the apparent interest in the 49ers certainly makes sense.

New head coach Kyle Shanahan, who was the Redskins offensive coordinator for the first two years of Cousins' career, would almost certainly be in favor of a reunion. The offensive system is clearly a fit for the quarterback's skill set, and San Francisco has more than enough cap space to make him one of the NFL's highest-paid quarterbacks.

Cousins is coming off the most productive season of his NFL career, in which he completed 67 percent of passes for 4,917 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

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