The Browns appeared to be on track to enter the draft with Kenny Pickett as their starting quarterback until a Joe Flacco reunion was worked out. Adding the latter to the fold has greatly lessened the chances of a Kirk Cousins trade taking place with respect to Cleveland. 
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With the Falcons open to dealing Cousins under the right circumstances, the Browns have long been considered a logical landing spot. Head coach Kevin Stefanski worked with him in Minnesota, and that familiarity could help provide the team with a short-term upgrade under center. In the event of a release, Cousins would have been available at a highly reduced rate (like Russell Wilson with the Steelers last year), but it is clear a post-draft trade is a likelier outcome.
On that point, the Falcons have set a high asking price in terms of how much of Cousins’ money they want an acquiring team to take on. The four-time Pro Bowler is owed a $27.5MM base salary for next season, and a $10MM roster bonus for 2026 has already become fully guaranteed. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer confirms Atlanta is not willing to spend much in the way of absorbing compensation on Cousins’ deal to facilitate a trade.
That reality helps explain Cleveland’s Flacco re-acquisition. Breer adds the Browns viewed the 40-year-old in a similar fashion to Cousins, who is four years younger. The latter enjoyed a relatively strong start to his Falcons career last season, but a turnover-filled run (which included battling ailments other than his 2023 Achilles tear) led to Michael Penix Jr. taking over QB1 duties. The eighth pick in last year’s draft is now set to handle the starting gig moving forward, but the Falcons have repeatedly expressed a willingness to keep Cousins in place as an expensive backup.
The Browns gave Flacco $4MM in base compensation, with incentives maxing out at $13MM. More realistically, the former Super Bowl MVP’s earning potential sits between $6MM and $8MM based on his playing time and Cleveland’s regular season success. As Breer notes, those figures illustrate the lengths to which Cleveland would have been willing to go for Cousins. Especially if the Browns add a rookie passer next week, a deal for Cousins (who aims to waive his no-trade clause after the draft) will surely be off the table.
In that case, the number of Cousins suitors would dwindle even further. Breer names the Steelers as a potential landing spot given their need for a starting-caliber veteran. The Aaron Rodgers wait continues, but if he were to retire or sign elsewhere Cousins would loom as a feasible trade candidate. It remains to be seen, though, how willing the Falcons will be to entertain offers on that front.
I love Flacco but that logic is insane.
Look at what Cousins has done for the past like ten years straight in terms of the numbers he’s put up.
I definitely get not viewing him as worth the trouble it would take to get him but to see him the same as current Joe Flacco when Cousins is still basically in his prime is insane.
10 years ago doesn’t matter. The guy played so badly last season he got benched. Add the cost of a draft pick and $27 million in 2025 plus $10 million in 2026 and it’s obvious why Flacco is the better choice in 2025. The Falcons would appear to have overplayed their hand. Now they are stuck with Cousins.
I said for ten years straight, you genius. Including last year.
Not ten years ago.
10 years ago doesn’t matter. 9 years ago doesn’t matter. 8 years ago doesn’t matter. You see where I’m going with this, genius? The guy looked washed at the end of the year last year and he lost his starting gig. That’s the past that is relevant now. Not 7 years ago, 6 years ago, 5 years ago, 4 years ago, 3 years ago, 2 years ago. No one is taking his contract and giving up picks in 2025. Unless you’ve found a time machine.
Cousins was injured starting week 10 last season, but was never on the injury report. If he’s healthy, would be the best pickup PITTS could get now.
Well said Plus3. Yeah in my opinion, if people look at Cousins numbers last year when he was healthy compared to Penix’s numbers I would honestly rather start a healthy Cousins then Penix (but I totally understand moving forward with a rookie as the new starter, it feels like the right move given the odd situation ATL put themselves in). Anyhow, Penix started 3 games, threw 3 td’s 3 ints, had 58% completion. He avg. 245 yards a game threw the air, and ran a total of 11 yards during those 3 games. Penix looked okay, but he was nicknamed Mr.Glass for a reason. If I was ATL I would hold onto Cousins for the entire season. 17 games is a stretch and one injury is all it takes.
Healthy cousins is better than at least 15 current QBs in the league and his contract isn’t even that hefty.
If not for Cousins’ injury last year, I’d agree. Cousins gets much, much more crap than he deserves for his contract numbers, but he’s been easily a top ten quarterback numbers wise for the last decade. That injury last year, though, was crippling to his outlook. We’d have to see what he can do post-recovery before we can easily trust him as a starter going forward.
Atlanta’s offseason last year was classic dysfunction. It’s why I don’t believe in the ‘parity myth’ The same teams lose annually. Sure 1 will go 10-7, make the playoffs, and get pummeled by a better team. The be under .500 the following season. Jets, Jags, Bears, Chargers, Bengals, Fins, Falcons, Cards are always losers come kickoff.
Alot of it is preseason media muppets overhyping teams and players. Last year the Falcons were supposed to go to the Superbowl, remember? Everyone talked about their offense but no one mentioned their horrible defense. As a long time NFL handicapper, I played against them the 1st few weeks. Because of the hype and Cousins was coming off a serious injury and needed a few weeks to get it back. Same with AR15 and the Jets. No one could predict the owner dumping the HC which trainwrecked the entire season.