If Kirk Cousins is released by the Atlanta Falcons this offseason, he may find a surprising landing spot in the AFC.
Cousins would be on the Cleveland Browns’ radar if the Falcons move on from him, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. The Browns will be in the market for a quarterback to compete with Deshaun Watson for 2025, and Cousins could fit the bill.
Cousins is expected to be relatively cheap for teams this offseason if the Falcons do release him. Unless he can get a guaranteed starting job or a multi-year offer, he may have to settle for a team like the Browns, where he would be forced to try to win a job in training camp. The team has already committed to bringing back Watson, partly because of his massive contract that the Browns simply cannot get out of.
It should be noted that Watson will be in his first year back after an Achilles tear in 2025, just as Cousins was this season. Some believe that negatively impacted Cousins this season, but it could actually work in his favor here.
The Falcons might prefer to try and trade Cousins for financial reasons, which would probably take the Browns out of the running. He signed a fully guaranteed four-year, $180 million contract with Atlanta during the offseason, and even if Atlanta eats some of that money, the Browns probably wouldn’t be able to absorb that cap hit. If he were released, however, this may be a pairing worth watching.
