Redskins' Gruden: 'It's hard to say Cousins really was outstanding'

Despite Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins putting together his third straight season with over 4,000 passing yards, head coach Jay Gruden still appears hesitant to declare the 29-year-old to be Washington's franchise pivot.

"It's hard to say, 'Wow, this guy really was outstanding,'" Gruden told ESPN's John Keim. "Kirk had his flashes where he was really good. From a consistent standpoint, over the course of 16 games, we're 7-9. He did some great things, threw for over 4,000 yards and (27) touchdowns. He's a very, very good quarterback without a doubt, but as far as getting us over the hump from 7-9 to winning the division with all the injuries we had, he competed and did some good things."

Cousins is coming off another productive campaign in which he threw 27 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, to go along with his aforementioned 4,093 passing yards.

Since earning the starting job in place of Robert Griffin III in 2015, the off-field relationship between Cousins and the Redskins has been precarious. Both sides failed to agree on a long-term deal last summer, leading the Redskins to go public after reportedly offering the quarterback an extension worth a guaranteed salary of $53 million; a proposal he rejected. Cousins then signed under the franchise tag for the second straight season, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to be tagged in back-to-back years.

With the possibility of Cousins leaving, Gruden endorsed backup Colt McCoy, saying: "We're not going to give him the keys right now. We're still trying to work things out with the other quarterback, and hopefully things will work out. But I know Colt is ready to play."

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