Could the Browns Still Pursue This 13-Year Veteran at Quarterback?
A four-man blitz for Cleveland's starting quarterback job is underway at minicamp in Berea. Despite the sufficient size of the QB room, serious questions persist surrounding whether enough talent exists at the position for a capable starter to emerge. The veterans in the room consist of soon-to-be 41-year-old Joe Flacco alongside Kenny Pickett, one of the more notable draft busts in recent memory, as well as two rookies, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, both mid-round selections. This is to say, all of the Browns’ current Week One starting quarterback hopefuls must defy harrowingly low odds to find success in 2025, as well as deviate from ample precedent, implying such is almost infeasible. For this reason, forecasting the winner of this four-man race continues to prove challenging. Each faces an uphill battle toward success, and the Browns acquired all four without investing significant capital or assets. In fact, according to Spotrac, the total cap hit of the Browns’ QB room, save for the injured Deshaun Watson, is south of $10 million.
Enter Kirk Cousins. The 36-year-old former Pro Bowler was an MVP candidate as recently as the first half of the 2023 season before an Achilles tear harshly halted his career trajectory. One year removed from the injury in 2024, his inaugural season with the Falcons, Cousins recorded more interceptions than games played and was benched for the team’s final three games in favor of Michael Penix Jr., the presumptive starter in 2025. This reality prompted Cousins to request a trade to seek starting opportunities elsewhere. Despite speculation from numerous teams, including the Browns, stemming from Cousins’ mysterious public appearance in the Cleveland suburb of Westlake back in March, the 13-year veteran remains under contract in Atlanta.
Presently, any team that trades for Cousins must commit to paying $27.5 million for his services in 2025, fueling the Falcons’ inability to orchestrate a deal. Atlanta is seemingly resigned to this reality, giving every indication that they are content in making Cousins the league’s highest-paid backup as opposed to releasing him outright. This stance places them in something of a predicament. On one hand, surely the Falcons would prefer to invest far less into the backup quarterback position than they are currently. However, on the other hand, a trade is the only plausible way to do so, and no team is apparently willing to take on Cousins' contract.
The most likely outcome is a creative compromise where the Falcons work out an agreement with another team, agreeing to take on some of what Cousins is owed in 2025 while allowing for a trade partner to absorb a not-insignificant portion of the contract. Despite a negative perception surrounding Cleveland’s salary cap health league-wide, the Browns are well-positioned to help work out such a solution. With a little over $18 million in cap space after June 1st releases, the Browns have the means to entice the Falcons into a trade by offering to take on, for example, $10-12 million of Cousins’ 2025 earnings. This outcome may prove mutually beneficial, granting Atlanta financial wiggle room by parting with a player unlikely to offer significant value to them in 2025, while Cleveland would bolster their weak quarterback unit with a veteran possessing a far more plausible path to success than anybody currently on their roster.
From the onset of the 2025 offseason, the buzz surrounding Kirk Cousins and the Browns has steadily whirled. The fit between the two is obvious. Kevin Stefanski worked alongside Kirk Cousins in Minnesota for two years, first as Minnesota’s quarterbacks coach and later as an offensive coordinator. Cousins recorded a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 56-16 in their two years together, qualifying for the playoffs once. Though concerns surrounding age and injury will continue to plague Cousins as he seeks a new home, he has sustained a high level of play in the NFL more recently than any quarterback currently competing to start in Cleveland and owns a promising rapport with coach Stefanski. As the Browns search for a signal-caller capable of getting their offense back on track, these factors render Cousins a stronger candidate to do so than any available alternative, despite the aforementioned concerns.
