Browns Debate Kirk Cousins vs. Russell Wilson as Deshaun Watson Replacement

As the Cleveland Browns search for a new starter, it’s important to consider a variety of options. That is likely headlined by the second-overall pick and the opportunity to take either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders.

But first, free agency has arrived, and so have the innumerable decisions that come with it. Veteran passers are flying off the board. Sam Darnold, Justin Fields, and Marcus Mariota have already signed new deals. Matthew Stafford was nearly traded, and the Seattle Seahawks shocked the football world when they traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders.

On Thursday, quarterback Russell Wilson met with Cleveland. If neither he nor Aaron Rodgers finds a home in Ohio, the front office may have to get creative.

The Browns could also trade for veteran Kirk Cousins as a way to replace Watson.

Tony Grossi recently wrote about the possibility, suggesting that it’s financially feasible to keep Cousins, and that it may take a draft pick to sway them.

"The alleged reasoning for picking up the $10M roster bonus and keeping him as Michael Penix’s backup is something like this: 'We’d rather pay him $100M over two years than $90M over one,'" Grossi wrote. "Unless some desperate team comes to their rescue and offers a mid-round draft pick to 'release' Cousins to them. In exchange, supposedly the Falcons would cover the bulk of the $37.5M owed Cousins."

It isn’t immediately clear what a Cousins trade would cost the Browns. One one hand, Cousins clearly isn’t worth a first-round pick (or similar value given they aren’t trading No. 2). He declined as the season went on, and even if it was a shoulder injury that did him in, another injury on his record doesn’t help him entering his age-37 season.

However, desperate teams do desperate things, and with edge rusher Myles Garrett officially back, the front office may not survive another disaster. Can they afford to risk a rookie struggling in a starting role?

That could drive his price up, especially if Atlanta is generous with Cousins’ deal.

Given the decline he exhibited in 2024, Cleveland’s urgency may be more born out of job security than reason itself, making anything more than a Day 3 pick a questionable endeavor.