A few weeks back shockwaves came through Redskins fans as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that San Francisco, with Kyle Shanahan as coach, would make a strong push to land Kirk Cousins, either via free agency or trade. A trade that could even include the No. 2 overall pick.

Now it seems the 49ers are considering a new direction at quarterback.

Falcons QB Matt Schaub could follow Atlanta OC Kyle Shanahan to SF, per sources. Schaub could be starter, backup or bridge to future SF QB. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 5, 2017

Schaub is set to be a free agent after the Super Bowl. He spent this season as Matt Ryan's backup in Atlanta, and has only started two games in the last three seasons bouncing between the Falcons, Baltimore and Oakland. He was benched in 2013 as the Texans starter, but when Schaub and Shanahan worked together in Houston, the duo produced some strong numbers.

His best year came in 2009, when Schaub threw for 4,770 yards, completing nearly 68 percent of his passes to go with 29 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. Those numbers sound familiar? Cousins threw for 4,917, completing 67 percent of his passes to go with 25 TDs against 12 INTs in 2016.

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Moving for Schaub makes sense for Shanahan and San Francisco. Clearly Schaub knows Shanahan's system, both from their days in Houston and this season in Atlanta. It helps that Schaub will likely be available cheap.

Cousins, on the other hand, will not come cheap, and that's if he's even available.

It seems highly unlikely Washington will let their QB hit free agency this season, especially with the franchise tag again at the team's disposal. Redskins brass continues to say a long-term contract for Cousins is in the works, even if talks haven't begun yet. A trade offer for Cousins would need to include a package of draft picks.

The Niners interest in Schaub does not rule out a possible pursuit of Cousins. In fact, Schaub could be a good veteran backup for Cousins, a seasoned voice to talk through ideas, coverages and problems.

Regardless of what happens between San Francisco and Schaub, Cousins will be hard to get.

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