Slow news day for the Cleveland Browns? Don't worry, Russell Wilson is here to save the day.
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and ESPN's Adam Schefter, it looks like Wilson is visiting with both the Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants before the start to the weekend. Cleveland is getting the first crack at meeting with Wilson, who will then presumably visit with the Giants' front office to discuss a potential deal.
Wilson, who most recently played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, led them to a Wild Card berth and had some pretty great starts for them before falling off a cliff towards the end of the season. He took over the team from Justin Fields, who had led them to a 4-2 record before getting benched for the veteran.
Wilson to visit Browns according to multiple reports
Wilson hasn't been connected much to the Browns this offseason, especially since their cap situation might not be extremely appealing to the signal caller. But, he would have the opportunity to start Week 1 with the Browns - as he would with the Giants - and help mentor whichever rookie Cleveland decides to take in the upcoming NFL draft.
This isn't the worst idea in the world, but it still begs the question of why the Browns are so insistent on pursuing older, potentially "washed" quarterbacks on the market. The logic of needing a veteran bridge for their impending rookie makes sense, but this is just a weird market for that strategy. Wilson, though, would be a solid fit in the Browns' offense and system.
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A moon ball merchant, Wilson would likely have tons of fun with a younger Pro Bowl receiver in Jerry Jeudy as well as with, hypothetically, someone like TreVeyon Henderson who is a great dual threat running back out of Ohio State University. Head coach Kevin Stefanski can likely get some great stuff out of Wilson, which also makes him a fun possibility for the offense.
That all said, it is just unfortunate that Cleveland finds themselves in a position to be reliant on the word of Wilson, Kirk Cousins, or other older and injury prone quarterback options this offseason. It's a hole they dug themselves, of course, but it's still tough to watch the consequences of that hole-digging in real time.
If the Steelers opt to go with someone like Rodgers as their next starting QB, the likelihood of Wilson wanting to stay in the AFC North goes up a bit. Time for revenge would be now.
Wilson might also be swept off his feet by all the potential oozing out of Cleveland's roster, or by being able to land in a big market like New York to act as temporary savior. We'll see what happens with the veteran after his two scheduled visits.
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