The Washington Redskins' backup quarterback drew interest from several teams during the 2014 NFL Draft, but none of the offers tempted general manager Bruce Allen to part with his Robert Griffin III insurance.
The Cleveland Browns were one of the interested parties, as general manager Ray Farmer attempted to reunite Cousins with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reports the Browns were rebuffed in their offer of a fourth-round pick in exchange for Cousins.
Former Redskins tight end and current WTEM-AM Washington radio broadcaster Chris Cooley corroborates La Canfora's account, adding that Allen would "absolutely" have pulled the trigger had the Browns upped the offer to a second-round pick.
Those phone calls presumably occurred before the Browns traded up for Johnny Manziel at No. 22 overall.
With Shanahan set to tutor Manziel in Cleveland, Cousins has missed out on his best opportunity to get out from under RGIII's shadow in the nation's capital.
*The "Around The League Podcast" wrapped up the draft by picking our winners and losers. *
