It's no secret that 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan had an affinity for quarterback Kirk Cousins over the years.
Shanahan, Washington's offensive coordinator at the time, and Cousins' relationship formed when the Michigan State product was selected by Washington in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft -- three rounds after the team selected dual-threat quarterback Robert Griffin III with the No. 2 overall pick.
In a feature story on Cousins from The Athletic's Alec Lewis, former Washington defensive coordinator Jim Haslett told The Athletic that Shanahan wanted to start Cousins, not the first-rounder Griffin, in 2013 after Griffin suffered a torn ACL at the end of his rookie 2012 season, but was overruled by Washington ownership.
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Fast forward four years to 2017, and Shanahan -- in his first season as 49ers head coach -- reportedly wanted to trade San Francisco's No. 2 overall pick in the draft to Washington in exchange for Cousins before the 49ers eventually moved back one spot in a trade with the Chicago Bears and selected defensive end Solomon Thomas.
"That offseason, Kyle Shanahan, who had been named the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers after stops in Cleveland and Atlanta, tried to trade the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft for Cousins, according to Mike Shanahan," Lewis wrote. “He knew Kirk knew his system, and he knew the type of guy Kirk was,” Mike Shanahan said. “But (Washington) wouldn’t even return the phone call.”
"Instead, Cousins played out the 2017 season under a second franchise tag, which all but assured he would enter the 2018 offseason as an unrestricted free agent. That ultimately led to Minnesota and a record-breaking three-year, $84 million guaranteed contract."
Shanahan reportedly planned to pursue Cousins in free agency after the 2017 season before the 49ers traded for and signed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a long-term contract.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers' quarterback situation took many twists and turns in the years that followed, but it was clear that Cousins initially was Shanahan's guy when he took over as coach in 2017.
Now San Francisco will deploy second-year quarterback Brock Purdy in 2023, while Cousins potentially plays out the final year of his Vikings contract.