The Cleveland Browns' QB saga remains unresolved as we quickly approach the 2025 NFL Draft. The only healthy signal-caller currently on the roster is Kenny Pickett, and it's hard to imagine the Browns starting him in Week 1.
That means that the Browns will add a starting QB either through the draft or the trade market. One commonly speculated name in Cleveland is Kirk Cousins.
The Falcons quarterback is on his way out in Atlanta after being demoted to Michael Penix Jr.'s backup. The Browns, who are in a win-now mode, are a natural fit for the 36-year-old quarterback.
The biggest obstacle in the way is Cousins' $180 million contract. On Thursday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the Browns "are not interested in absorbing Cousins' current contract".
Kirk Cousins prefers to be cut loose, per @DOrlandoAJC https://t.co/dR4MnbT8fq
— Matt Tabeek (@MatthewTabeek) April 4, 2025
Browns Reportedly Unwilling to Pay Kirk Cousins' Current Contract
Therefore, Cousins prefers to be released, according to AJC's D. Orlando Ledbetter. Whether the Falcons will honor his request, however, remains to be seen.
In any deal with the Browns, Atlanta will have to absorb the majority of Cousins' remaining contract. Ledbetter added that most teams around the league consider this contract to be "untradeable", making Cleveland perhaps the only option remaining for Cousins.
Since almost every team in the NFL has found an answer to their QB question, this makes a ton of sense.
The biggest problem remains the lack of incentive for the Falcons to release Cousins. There is no financial benefit for Atlanta to cut Cousins, but they may still do it to do him a favor. However, holding on until after the draft to see whether any team, most likely the Browns, will get desperate enough to trade for him and pay at least a part of his salary, makes plenty of sense.