The Cleveland Browns entered the 2025 offseason with a pressing need for a quarterback. A whole year has gone by, and that might still be the case in Berea.
However, even if the need remains, the circumstances have changed.
That's why making a move for Kirk Cousins no longer makes sense. It looked like a no-brainer when the Atlanta Falcons were expected to release him, given his ties to now-former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Fast forward to today, and not even a reunion with Stefanski might be enough to salvage his career in Atlanta. He's finally expected to be released this offseason, and this time, the Browns have no business even picking up the phone to make a run at him.
Kirk Cousins is about to hit the market, and the Browns should stay away
The Cousins-Stefanski pairing made sense. He was at his best when he was his offensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings, but a lot has transpired since. Granted, Cousins still looked like he had something left on the tank this season, completing 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and five picks while leading the Falcons to a 5-3 record.
That said, the Browns' offense will probably change drastically with Todd Monken at the helm. Sure, Monken has played with a bunch of different personnel, and he can adapt to all types; he ran a vertical passing game in Tampa Bay and a run-heavy offense in Baltimore.
Still, he's clearly better at developing younger quarterbacks, and pairing him with 37-year-old Kirk Cousins might be putting his talents to waste. Cousins wouldn't be a long-term solution at the position and, given the league-wide quarterback situation, the Browns would probably have to engage in a bidding war just to get him.
The team is pretty tight with cash as things stand now, and it could put that money to better use by addressing other issues. Unfortunately, the Browns are not just one quarterback away, and chasing a veteran on the backend of his prime might be fool's gold at this point.
As things stand now, it looks like Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders will battle for the starting quarterback position in Cleveland. That's far from an ideal setting, but the Browns were already paying eight quarterbacks last season between current and former players, so adding another one to the mix doesn't sound like the wisest decision right now.
That said, this front office has a long history of making the wrong call.