The Washington Redskins were interested in trading Kirk Cousins this offseason, but he "never really got a whole lot of information" on how close a deal was.

Cousins will now enter his third season as Robert Griffin III's backup at quarterback.

“I think the mind-set is the same as it’s always been since the day I was drafted,” Cousins said following Thursday’s practice at Redskins Park, “which is stay ready, make the most of your opportunities whether it’s in practice or in games, and learn this system as best you can, and play well in practice so that these coaches get excited about what you can bring to the team. So that’s kind of been my same mindset all the way along. And it really won’t change depending on circumstances."

The Cleveland Browns reportedly offered a fourth round pick for Cousins.

“I didn’t know what was truth and what was rumors, what was speculation,” Cousins said Thursday. “So it was hard for me to really read into anything because you didn’t know how true it was. So I think for the most part it was smart for me just to stay out of it.”

The Washington Redskins were interested in trading Kirk Cousins this offseason, but he "never really got a whole lot of information" on how close a deal was.

Cousins will now enter his third season as Robert Griffin III's backup at quarterback.

“I think the mind-set is the same as it’s always been since the day I was drafted,” Cousins said following Thursday’s practice at Redskins Park, “which is stay ready, make the most of your opportunities whether it’s in practice or in games, and learn this system as best you can, and play well in practice so that these coaches get excited about what you can bring to the team. So that’s kind of been my same mindset all the way along. And it really won’t change depending on circumstances."

The Cleveland Browns reportedly offered a fourth round pick for Cousins.

“I didn’t know what was truth and what was rumors, what was speculation,” Cousins said Thursday. “So it was hard for me to really read into anything because you didn’t know how true it was. So I think for the most part it was smart for me just to stay out of it.”

The New York Giants have released Josh Freeman.

Freeman was signed by the Giants this offseason to provide depth at quarterback behind Eli Manning and Ryan Nassib.

Freeman has now been on three teams in less than one season.

Dez Bryant and the Dallas Cowboys could agree upon an extension before or during the 2014 season.

"We’re certainly taking a long look at that,” Stephen Jones said on 1310 The Ticket [KTCK-AM]. “As we do with any great player in our organization who’s nearing the end of a contract, we start to look at it and see how we might structure something going forward. I think that’s a possibility, yes.”

Bryant, 25, is coming off his first Pro Bowl season, catching 93 passes for 1,233 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Doug Baldwin has signed a contract extension with the Seattle Seahawks worth a minimum of $16 million over three seasons.

Baldwin's deal can escalate to $19.5 million overall if achievable bonuses are reached.

Baldwin caught 50 passes for 778 yards and five touchdowns in the regular season last year.

Vernon Davis is forfeiting his $200,000 workout bonus by his absence from voluntary offseason workouts.

Davis is scheduled to make base salaries of $4.7 million and $4.35 million in the final two years of his contracts, as well as a possible $400,000 in roster bonuses in each of those seasons. 

When asked for the reason for Davis’ lack of attendance in the offseason program, Jim Harbaugh said, “As you know, the workouts are voluntary. That would be the reason.”

Andre Johnson was a no-show during the Houston Texans' organized team activities on Tuesday.

Johnson's absence was expected and it confirmed that he remains at odds with the front office.

Johnson said May 13 he planned to miss OTAs and the Texans’ mandatory camp in June.

“We’d love to have him here. … It’s up to him,” said Bill O’Brien, who stuck to his talking points about Johnson and again praised the veteran’s contributions to the team.

Even though talks between the Kansas City Chiefs and Alex Smith have progressed slowly, Andy Reid is confident that a deal will be reached.

"Well, there's open communication between both parties. Now, I'm not in that business anymore -- that's (general manager) John Dorsey's side of it -- but there's been open communication," Reid said.

"I've always believed that if there's open communication, then normally good things happen. So, I'm sure something will get done. I can't put a time frame on that, but I'm sure something will get done."

The San Francisco 49ers ultimately added five players to their roster in exchange for Alex Smith.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, drafted Aaron Murray.

Dorsey also told SiriusXM NFL Radio's Alex Marvez last week that Smith and the Chiefs were "going back and forth."

"Eventually, as (with) all negotiations, there will be a medium point where both sides agree. Time will move on and we'll go to the next project," Dorsey said. "This thing will go on for a little bit. There's a degree of patience here. There's no reason to rush."

Brandon Marshall credits the trade that sent him from the Miami Dolphins to the Chicago Bears in March 2012 as being "life-saving and career-saving."

Marshall recently signed three-year contract extension worth $23 million guaranteed.

"I don't think I'd be sitting in this position talking about an extension [if not for the trade to Chicago]," Marshall said. "I probably wouldn't even be having the success that I was having on the field in that environment [in Miami]. It wasn't right for me."

LaMichael James reported to the San Francisco 49ers this week.

James' previous absence means he forfeits a $50,000 workout bonus in his contract and was viewed as a signal that he is unhappy with his role on offense and wants a trade.

James is the team's primary punt and kick returner, something he did well last season after Kyle Williams was released.