3 Cleveland Browns trade targets from the Vikings

Vikings Trade Target No. 1 for Cleveland Browns – Kirk Cousins

The one you’ve all been waiting for and makes a lot of sense is reuniting Kirk Cousins and Stefanski.  Cousins has been a good quarterback, but he hasn’t been able to push the Vikings to the next level.  I don’t think fans are ready to jump ship on him, but I don’t think anyone believes they are close to being Super Bowl contenders with the roster they have.

The Browns, on the other hand, feel like they are an above-average quarterback away.  Even though the Chiefs and Bills aren’t going anywhere, the Browns roster is loaded with talent and has proven they can beat anyone.  Sadly, they can also lose to anyone.

There are a couple of moving pieces to this one. First, the Browns would need to find a trade partner for Mayfield to make room for Cousins. The haul wouldn’t be great, but they can at least move his $18 million salary with no issues.

The bigger issue would be Cousins’ contract.  He has a cap hit of $45 million in 2022 and would have to restructure to make it work. Cleveland would likely be willing to give him a two-year extension and the $30-35 million he made the first two years of his contract.

Some fans ask, is Cousins a true upgrade? I don’t think it’s substantial, but I think Cousins is an upgrade from Mayfield. He doesn’t have near the arm, but he isn’t going to make the bone head decisions that end in bad interceptions that we saw far too often with Mayfield.

I truly don’t know if this would be a benefit or set the Cleveland Browns back, but I think Berry would have to think long and hard about it if the opportunity presented itself.