“We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun. We thought we had the quarterback, we didn’t, and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole.” That’s Browns owner Jimmy Haslam keeping it way too real. Cleveland went all-in on Watson, and now they’re stuck trying to clean up the mess. With his injury woes and uncertainty at quarterback, the Browns are scrambling. And let’s just say, things could get very interesting soon.

The Browns have already traded for Kenny Pickett, and the interesting part? Well, the fourth-year QB believes that Cleveland will give him a chance to become the QB1. But let’s not sugarcoat this. Cleveland holds the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft and could draft a quarterback. However, if Kevin Stefanski is in pursuit of a veteran QB, then don’t be surprised if they ditch a QB in the draft and go for Abdul Carter instead.

And that’s where things would take an exciting turn. See, at this point, Kirk Cousins is out there probably looking for an opportunity to start in 2025. The Falcons want him as a backup, considering the second-year QB, Michael Penix Jr., is their QB1. And that’s where The Athletic’s Dianna Russini comes in. Russini believes that if the Browns draft Abdul Carter in April, Cousins is all but on his way to the Browns.

“They still have so many questions at quarterback, which brings us to Kirk Cousins. Is that a real thing for Atlanta to trade Kirk to Cleveland? From my sense? Yes,” Russini said on Scoop City. “I don’t know how far along it is right now. I just know there’s enough smoke around this and enough conversations being had that this would not be a surprising move.” But the big question is: if Atlanta wants to trade Cousins, why would he wait till the Browns draft Carter?

See it this way: when Cousins signed that four-year $180 million deal with Atlanta, the team didn’t notify him or his agent about drafting a QB in the draft. Cut to the reality, the Falcons indeed drafted Penix Jr. with the 8th overall pick. Sure, the 36-year-old QB got an opportunity to start, but did he get that fairytale ending? Yeah, not exactly.

That means Cousins is probably waiting for the NFL draft to end in April before he makes a trade move. To make things even spicier, he has a no-trade clause in his contract. That means the guy can block any trade that he doesn’t like. As for the Browns, they’ve the No. 2 overall pick. Well, the odds are favoring that they’re going to draft Shedeur Sanders in April.

And if that’s the case, then Cousins might not want to leave for Cleveland. However, maybe—just maybe—they draft either Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter, then there’s a solid possibility of Cousins signing with the Browns. Of course, a lot of which hugely depends on what the Falcons want?

Is Kirk Cousins returning to Atlanta?

Coming from a season-ending torn Achilles during the 2023 season, Kirk Cousins was surely looking for a breakout season, with a new team. And let’s just say the guy had his ups and downs at the beginning of the regular season. Sure, he threw for a career-high and a Falcons franchise record 509 yards in Week 5, but his season basically wrapped up when he recorded brutal eight picks in four straight losses (with zero TDs).

Fast forward to now, and with Michael Penix Jr. expected to start in 2025, Cousins’ future is still up in the air. Cousins wants to be a starter. But what about the Falcons? Well, Raheem Morris is all in, welcoming him to Atlanta—but as a backup to Penix Jr. And Cousins’ not in the mood to warm the bench again. To top that off, the HC admitted that if a trade opportunity presents itself that works for both sides, they’ll look into it.

“It’s a business decision,” Morris said, via NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. “What’s best for Falcons… We won’t hold him back if the opportunity presents itself. He’s made it clear he’d like to be a starter.” Earlier, Cousins reportedly asked the Falcons’ owner, Arthur Blank, to release him. And yeah, the franchise declined his request at that time.

At the end of the day, it’s safe to say that both parties are playing waiting games. On one side, Kirk Cousins is probably waiting for the NFL draft to conclude in April. On the other hand, the Falcons are hoping to get a potential trade call for the QB.