How Browns reportedly could 'appeal' to Falcons' Kirk Cousins

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins is spending the spring waiting to either be released or get traded to a team in need of a 2025 Week 1 starter such as the Cleveland Browns. 

Meanwhile, Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand suggested as recently as this week that the Browns could take either Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter or Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter instead of Colorado signal-caller Shedeur Sanders with the second overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. 

For a piece published Wednesday morning, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated explained how the Browns' handling of the draft could impact their potential pursuit of Cousins. 

"I do think if the Browns decide to take Carter with the second pick," Breer wrote, "then Cousins would appeal to them, given the relationship the quarterback has with (Browns head coach) Kevin Stefanski from Minnesota. It would be, in my mind, a nice fit for everyone and allow Cleveland more flexibility on taking a quarterback in the draft. Cousins is amenable to teams working out trade terms on a contingency ahead of the draft, so maybe that’s how this one plays out over the coming weeks."

It was previously reported that Cousins, who has a full no-trade clause attached to his contract, does not want a team interested in acquiring him to take a quarterback in the first round of the 2025 draft. Atlanta famously signed Cousins in March 2024 but then made Michael Penix Jr. the eighth overall pick of last year's player selection process.

Cousins had Stefanski as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator when they were with the Vikings. The 36-year-old lost the Atlanta starting job to Penix this past December. 

In his latest mock draft, Grossi predicted that the Browns will grab Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe at overall choice No. 33. Milroe played under Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees in college.  

With that said, Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer shared on Tuesday that Cleveland is searching for a rookie quarterback who can "lead the team and serve as the face of the franchise." That update indicates that taking Sanders at No. 2 is at least on the table for the Browns. 

The Tennessee Titans are reportedly on track to make Miami quarterback Cam Ward the top pick of the draft. Neither the New York Giants nor the Pittsburgh Steelers seem likely to trade for Cousins anytime soon. 

In the end, Cousins may have to tolerate sharing a locker room with Sanders to enter training camp as an NFL QB1 this summer.