WASHINGTON — Over the past several days, coming off Kirk Cousins’ career-best performance against the New Orleans Saints, a great deal of focus has turned to the starting quarterback’s future with the Redskins.

With his 324-yard, four-touchdown passing day Sunday, Cousins has strung together 858 passing yards and eight touchdowns with one interception over the past three games, solidifying his most consistent stretch of the season against Tampa Bay, New England and New Orleans.

He has, in effect, raised the bar along with his earning potential, provided he plays at or near this level through the Redskins’ remaining seven games, and that has yielded some necessary follow-up questions about his possible free agency value.

In the final year of his rookie deal, Cousins could have as many as seven teams pursuing him in the offseason, possibly more. And in recent days, consensus seems to have been reached with one thought: Washington won’t get a deal done to extend Cousins before the season ends.

Not for a lack of desire on their part, but because Cousins could be too valuable on the open market.

La Canfora: Cousins could make ‘a lot’ of money

“Nothing’s going to happen in season,” Jason La Canfora said on Tuesday. “I’d be really stunned.”

Another, possibly more frightening scenario has also cropped up.

“I don’t think you get a deal done right now, because the agent is looking at Kirk’s upside,” former pro agent Joel Corry told 106.7 The Fan’s Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier. “The possibility that maybe Kyle Shanahan gets a head coaching job, which would bring more competition to the equation. You have to come with something that’s going to knock the agent’s socks off if the deal’s going to get done before the season ends.”

Corry: Will Skins use franchise tag on Cousins?

Doesn’t sound believable? Remember when Dan Quinn, who eventually signed on to coach the Falcons, was the front-runner to land the Jets job, Shanahan would have come with him. Shanahan’s reported first move would have been to try to orchestrate a deal to acquire Cousins.

That thought you’ve keep buried in the back of your mind, locked away since the end of the Shanahan regime, suddenly comes creeping back in. Surely Mike Shanahan won’t get another coaching job, but what if his son, Kyle, haunts the Redskins once more?

“What if Kyle Shanahan gets a head coaching job?” Chris Russell later proposed on the same radio program. “He tried to trade for [Cousins] last year with the Cleveland Browns. He’s going to go after him. You need a quarterback that no only can play at this level, but understands your system, understands the language and can run the offense from square one next season.”

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