Do Browns feel they may have to trade for Falcons' Kirk Cousins

As of Wednesday morning, the Atlanta Falcons seemed prepared to hold onto quarterback Kirk Cousins as a backup for 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. even though $10M of Cousins' money for 2026 vests on March 17. 

For a piece published Tuesday night, Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand suggested some within that organization may be thinking about trading for Cousins with the new league year set to begin on Wednesday. 

"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 about the Falcons' alleged mindset regarding their handling of Cousins. "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."

The Browns seemingly are desperate to find a QB1 for 2025 after they convinced wantaway pass-rusher Myles Garrett to commit at least his short-term future to the franchise. As things stand now, either former Pittsburgh Steelers draft bust Kenny Pickett or a to-be-acquired rookie would be on track to be Cleveland's Week 1 starting quarterback in September. 

With that said, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio mentioned late Tuesday night that the Falcons can afford to keep Cousins because Penix is on an inexpensive rookie contract for the foreseeable future. 

"If the Falcons cut Cousins after the 2025 season," Florio explained, "they’ll be entitled to an offset for whatever he makes elsewhere next year. If he takes the minimum and sticks the Falcons with the balance, he’ll be capped at $10M for 2026. There’s no reason for Cousins, who turns 37 in August, to expect — or accept — maximum pay of $10M in 2026. So, the $10M isn’t the problem that some seem to think it is."

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated and others have noted that Cousins is eager to leave the Falcons so he can start elsewhere. One would think having an unhappy veteran who is popular among teammates in the locker room would only be a negative for Penix as the 24-year-old begins springtime workouts as a first-choice NFL starter for the first time. 

Nevertheless, Grossi insisted that landing Cousins before March 17 is "not worth wasting even a low draft pick" for a team such as the Browns. Perhaps Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry will decide before Sunday night that he disagrees with Grossi's assessment of the situation.