Best odds to be the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback in 2022

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Oct 24, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) participates in warm ups while offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski looks on before the start of a game against the Washington Redskins at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports /

Potential Cleveland Browns Quarterback No. 1 – Kirk Cousins

The No. 1 option other than Baker Mayfield at moment is Kirk Cousins. The reason it’s most likely is fairly obvious. Cousins has ties to Kevin Stefanski, and with a new general manager and head coach in Minnesota, they may be looking for a fresh start as well.

The Cleveland Browns would only have one struggle with Cousins. His contract would have to be restructured for it to work. Currently, he has one year left, which is fully guaranteed at $45 million. He would need to sign an extension, and bring that cap number closer to $30 million for it to even be an option.

Is Cousins a huge upgrade? I’m still not sold, but I do think it could be a good fit for both. Cousins hasn’t had a defense or a consistent running game like the Browns have, and he has proven to consistently complete passes at an extremely high rate.

Cousins has six seasons with more than 4,000 passing yards, and six seasons with a completion percentage higher than 67. Mayfield has yet to have either of those. In his “breakout” season, he had a completion percentage below 63 and only had 3,563 passing yards.

The biggest thing to me is he is a 500 quarterback. He is 59-59-2 in his career as a starter. He only has two seasons with a winning record in his 10-year career.

Next. 3 FAs eliminated in Divisional Round Browns should target. dark

So, he may be putting up bigger numbers, but he’s still not closing games which is the biggest issue I have with Mayfield at the moment.

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