The Cleveland Browns have been heavily linked to quarterback Kirk Cousins for much of the offseason, but the Atlanta Falcons’ latest move may have changed things.
The Browns still do not have a convincing veteran option on their roster, but Zac Jackson of The Athletic does not expect the team to be in a rush to change that. Jackson wrote that the Browns’ interest in Cousins may have been as a relatively low cost acquisition, and now that that has changed, their interest is much more uncertain.
If the Browns were to trade for Cousins, the Falcons would likely have to retain some of the quarterback’s salary to make a deal possible.
The Falcons kept Cousins on the roster through Saturday, meaning they had to pay him an additional roster bonus. That made it clear that the team has no plans to release the quarterback, which undoubtedly would have been the Browns’ preferred outcome. The move all but locks in Cousins’ $40 million cap hit for 2025. That is a hefty sum of money for a player who struggled last season and turns 37 in August.
Before Atlanta paid out Cousins’ bonus, the Browns were linked strongly to him as a stopgap veteran option who can start for the team in 2025. Cleveland has already traded for Kenny Pickett, but few see him as a viable option to start.
Cousins has three years left on a four-year, $180 million contract he signed with the Falcons. He threw for 3,508 yards with 18 touchdowns and a league-worst 16 interceptions in 14 starts last season.
