Browns Receive Strong Prediction About Next QB Move

The reshaping of the Cleveland Browns quarterback room is well underway.

On Monday, as legal tampering began across the NFL, Browns general manager Andrew Berry swung a trade for Philadelphia Eagles backup QB Kenny Pickett. It was a stunning move that left fans wondering if that was the team's big swing at the position.

All indications are that Berry still has plans to add another veteran signal caller to the group, though. According to one Browns insider, they'll likely have their top target by the end of the week.

"[Pickett was not acquired to be the No. 1 quarterback, so probably by the weekend they'll have Kirk Cousins," Zac Jackson of The Athletic said during an appearance on 92.3 The Fans' Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima. "March 16, the Falcons owe him $10 million and everybody expects that they won't pay him that.

"If they do, we'll see what's next, but probably Kirk Cousins. Always has been No. 1 plan. That's kinda been out there since December."

The payment Jackson alluded to is a $10 million roster bonus that the Falcons owe Cousins on the fifth day of the new league year. Doubt has been mounting for several weeks now that Atlanta wouldn't want to guarantee any more money to Cousins when he'd be serving in a backup role next season.

Should Atlanta part ways with Cousins, Cleveland is expected to be the No. 1 destination for the 36-year-old, given his notable history with head coach Kevin Stefanski. The two crossed paths in Minnesota from 2018-2019 while Stefanski served as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.

It's a natural fit, but in order for it to happen Berry and the Browns need the Falcons to cooperate and release Cousins. To this point, their GM Terry Fontenot has said they're comfortable retaining Cousins as a backup.

Given how dire Cleveland's quarterback situation is at the moment, it may just be willing to call Fontenot's bluff and wait out a potential split from Cousins in the coming days.