Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins wants a shot at the starting job.
The third-year quarterback said Monday that if Robert Griffin III is named the starter during the offseason he'll ask for a trade, per WRC-TV's Diana Russini.
"Isn't it obvious I couldn't stay here?" Cousins told Russini.
Cousins explained that if there is no quarterback competition, there is no point to staying in Washington. The signal-caller added that he would approach the season as 16 games until free agency if RGIII is made the starter.
While Cousins wants a chance to play, he later clarified that he didn't demand anything: "I want to come out and say I loved Washington ... I don't demand anything. I'm under contract, I'll honor that contract," he said per CSN Washington.
Cousins started five games this season after RGIII was injured before being replaced by Colt McCoy. In his six appearances this year, Cousins completed 61.8 percent of his 204 passing attempts for 1,710 yards, 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He lost four straight starts before being replaced at halftime of Week 7.
The Redskins' prospects for trading Cousins have dwindled with nearly every start over the past two seasons. The 26-year-old has some NFL tools, but his pocket presence and decision-making would need a major makeover if any team is willing to part with even a late-round pick for him.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport noted that the Cleveland Browns have had interest in Cousins in the past. The quarterback's familiarity with coordinator Kyle Shanahan would make sense if those dots were connected again, given the questions in the Browns' quarterback room.Â
Cousins wasn't even the backup when McCoy and Griffin were both healthy late in the season.
RGIII has ownership's support and could get another chance to make it work with Gruden in 2015.
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