Browns lose some leverage in a Kirk Cousins trade thanks to Russell Wilson

Thanks to Russell Wilson deciding to take a bag to play in New York with the Giants next season, the Browns are likely back to square one as it pertains to their choices of big swing quarterback moves to make this offseason. Square one is, of course, trading for Cousins.

There are a few other factors to keep in mind when assuming Cleveland can even try to attain Cousins in a deal. He has a no trade clause, and it's one he's reportedly not willing to waive until he sees what interested teams do in the draft. If they take a quarterback in round one, he's less likely to want to waive that clause, as he doesn't want a repeat of what happened in Atlanta.

That's just one sticking point hovering over the Browns' heads this offseason as they search for a veteran starter. The other?

Because Wilson decided to go to another team, the Falcons have to know that they control the Browns' destiny.

Atlanta suddenly has major leverage over Cleveland after Russell Wilson signing

With Wilson off the board, the Browns' remaining free agent options at quarterback look something like this:

• Carson Wentz
• Joe Flacco
• Trey Lance
• Drew Lock
• Teddy Bridgewater
• Tyler Huntley
• Tim Boyle

So, yeah, Wilson signing with New York throws a bit of a wrench into the Browns' plans to find a starter who could actually start.

Wentz is the only quarterback here who has apparently shown mutual interest in getting a deal done if Wilson didn't sign with the Browns, and lo and behold, that's what happened. We may see a signing done between him and Cleveland soon, following that logic and rumor, since he could be a very cheap veteran starter to add to the team as they weigh whether to draft one in April.

This Wilson deal isn't the be all, end all of the Browns' quarterback plans, though. They might, after all, be very comfortable with the idea of Shedeur Sanders starting for them at some point next season, and this would've just been a nice veteran bridge to have in the locker room with him if he ran into troubles during his first year of play in the NFL.

But, it is unfortunate that as of now, the only quarterback that could offer Sanders tutelage is Kenny Pickett. That's why trading for Cousins could very well still be on the table, but the Falcons have to smell the blood in the water by now. Blowing up any talent this Browns team has just doesn't make sense for a 37 year old signal caller, and that's likely what Atlanta expects Cleveland to do now.