The Cleveland Browns are in the market for a veteran quarterback.
For months, they have been tied to Kirk Cousins.
Now, it seems like they might have to be very aggressive if they truly want him.
According to a report by Charles Robinson (via Yahoo Sports), the Atlanta Falcons are trying to ‘squeeze’ the Browns by potentially triggering Kirk Cousins’ $10M roster bonus for 2026 that is due on March 17th.
“They know the Browns want to bring in another quarterback to balance out the position and Cousins would be the most familiar — having worked with head coach Kevin Stefanski — and cost-effective option if he were to be cut loose by Atlanta. “The exit here is the offering of some kind of asset the Falcons would be happy with, at which point they’d surrender Cousins via trade and pay most if not all of his 2025 salary. And the target seems to be the Browns,” Robinson said.
Cousins is a logical fit for the Browns.
He’s familiar with Kevin Stefanski, who was his offensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings.
Likewise, he should be pushing to reunite with Stefanski, as it might be his best chance to prove that he’s still got plenty left in the tank.
Nevertheless, the Falcons have no real incentive to release him.
They would still have to pay his salary, so they might be better off keeping him as Michael Penix Jr.’s backup.
As much as they’re committed to Penix, he’s young and injury-prone, so it wouldn’t hurt to keep Cousins around as a mentor and insurance policy.
That’s why they might be in no rush to get a deal done to move Cousins.
They can let this situation play out and wait further down the road to move him midway through the season when a desperate team looks around for a veteran signal-caller.
Depending on their asking price, the Browns would be wise to sit this one out and try to find their new quarterback in free agency, as overpaying for an aging quarterback has rarely gone a team’s way in the past.
