Schefter Interview - Kirk Cousins Never Demanded a Trade from Redskins

Adam Schefter is one of the most "in the know" NFL insiders. When Schefter breaks news, you can usually take that news to the bank. He recently had the opportunity to discuss some of the rumors surrounding the Redskins drama with quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Below are some snippets from the interview:

Interactions with Dan Snyder - "i've had really positive interactions with Mr. Synder throughout this entire offseason. The negotiation process in general has been very positive positive for me, and I'm happy with how things have transpired so far.

On trade demand - “As Chris Mortensen reported, and I'm not really sure how it got out, I did just inquire to Mr. Snyder and Bruce Allen if there was any interest in trading me just to try to get an understanding of their perspective, and the answer I got back was Mr. Synder communicated his belief in me and his desire for me to remain a Redskin, and his desire to help me by surrounding the quarterback with all the players and coaches that you need to succeed. That's the kind of message you want to hear from the owner of your team, so it was a very positive conversation in the sense that he spoke belief in me and really affirmed me and my role, and I felt wanted by him and by the team coming away from the call.”

“Then I'm at a shoe store later that day after Chris Mortensen and the guy fitting my wife for shoes say's, I heard you demanded a trade - and I laughed and I thought I don't know where that comes from because I just called them and asked them where their perspective was and where they were coming from; I just wanted to communicate,so that's kind of where that went, and it can get twisted to where an employee at a store is using the word demand, but that's certainly not the approach that I took.”

Contract negotiations: "This entire process from a contractual standpoint has been framed by the franchise tag rules," Cousins told Schefter. "It hasn't been framed by my market value. I would be content to go to the market and see what the value is and settle for what that is. But because of the tag rules and the team's use of the tag, that just hasn't taken place. ... So until that system of the tag is removed from the equation or from the collective bargaining agreement altogether, that will frame the entirety of my agent's approach."

Franchise tag: "If a team has franchise tagged me two years in a row, it's because they expect me to play at a high level," Cousins said. "If we play at a very high level and if we win a Super Bowl next year, I'm pretty confident they'll tag me and bring me back. If the season goes the way everyone wants it to and hopes it will, then let's hope I'm getting tagged again. There's still more of this story to write."

Any doubts on being with the Redskins this season - “In this league, things change so fast and players can get blindsided all the time with decisions. They’ll cut you on your birthday. They’ll cut you on the day your child is born. They’ll cut you on Christmas Eve. You never know what will happen. I’ll always keep an open mind so I won’t get blindsided, but from what I heard in conversations, I felt very much supported and felt the owner and president of the team want me to be the quarterback there and to be the quarterback there for a long time.”

Terrelle Pryor: "I want to play with a guy like Terrelle Pryor," Cousins said. "That's a great acquisition, a player that will help us a lot on offense. I'm excited about the players we have on offense. The line has played well for a couple years. We have some good players up and coming. ... I'm excited about what's in place."

Best and worst part of playing in Washington: Best - one of the top fan bases and teams in the history of the NFL; iconic team, iconic brand and iconic fanbase. Worst - Traffic and cost of living.