It is fitting that one of the few teams with expected interest in quarterback Kirk Cousins is the Cleveland Browns. Few organizations have a long history of making questionable decisions at the quarterback. Already the Browns have bailed the Falcons out once, saving the team from landing and extending Deshaun Watson. This is a decision that is still haunting Cleveland and appears to be limiting their thinking at the quarterback position.
Watson is expected to miss the 2025 season, leaving the Browns searching for a potential answer. Kirk Cousins is an accomplished veteran who can potentially give your fans a level of hope. It is easy to argue Cousins is an upgrade over Jameis Winston or Deshaun Watson. For Atlanta, they will simply be excited about any team willing to take Kirk's contract off their hands.
Cleveland bringing in Kirk Cousins is a nonsensical lateral move that helps Atlanta
Atlanta's perspective is simply hoping that Cleveland or any other team will bail the team out of part of Kirk's contract. There is no question that it is the start of the Michael Penix Jr. era, and Cousins has fallen out of favor with Atlanta fans. The quarterback's end-of-season meltdown was more than enough reason for frustration, Cousins admitting an injury he previously denied was the final straw for many.
The Falcons will simply be relieved to part ways with Kirk, whether that is in Cleveland or any other landing spot. For Cleveland, the move would be a head-scratching decision when you already have zero questions that Deshaun Watson isn't the answer. Whatever version of the quarterback that existed in Houston and elevated that franchise is long gone.
The grass isn't always greener, and Watson learned this lesson by forcing his way out of Houston and imploding his career. The Browns would be wise to forget about adding any veteran starters and look to use their first-round pick to attempt to find an answer at the position.
Cleveland holds the second overall pick in this year's draft giving the team the chance to select either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders. It seems most likely that Ward will be the first overall selection for the Titans and Sanders will be the remaining option. No matter how it plays out, the Browns would be incredibly irresponsible to pay another veteran quarterback while holding a potential lottery ticket that could become a franchise quarterback.
Looking at Cleveland's history, the franchise making the clear and easy decision is far from a sure thing. Lending hope to Atlanta's chances of trading Kirk Cousins and being a step closer to putting the mistake behind them.