The Facts: Cousins says he never demanded a trade to owner Dan Snyder but rather inquired what the team planned to do after placing the franchise tag on him. Cousins told ESPN's Adam Schefter that his only reason for reaching out to Snyder, as well as team president Bruce Allen, was to gauge their intentions. "I did inquire if there was any interest in trading me to get an understanding of their perspective," Cousins said. "The answer I got back was Mr. Snyder communicated his belief in me and desire for me to remain a Redskin."

Diehards Line: Cousins said he first heard of his trade demands -- sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that Cousins had asked about a trade -- when a shoe store employee asked him about it while fitting his wife for shoes. "I laughed and thought, 'I don't know where that comes from because that wasn't the case,'" Cousins told Schefter. "Somehow it got twisted to where an employee of the store is using the word 'demanded.' That's not the approach I took." Cousins' future has been a dominant story in the NFL this offseason. The Redskins placed the franchise tag on him for a second consecutive year; he signed the tender Friday, thereby guaranteeing a $24 million payday this season. The quarterback's side wants that figure to be the baseline average on a new contract. However, the Redskins' best offer, which was made before the scouting combine, was for $20 million per year with what one source told ESPN.com's John Keim was "low guarantees."