CLEVELAND, Ohio — Kirk Cousins went viral on social media Thursday when he posed for photos at a Chipotle in Westlake, Ohio, and then again a few hours later at City BBQ in nearby Avon, Ohio.
Cousins, who’s demonstrated his sense of humor over the years, posing with his Kohl’s cash chain and celebrating on the Vikings team plane shirtless with hardware around his neck.
On Thursday, he seemed to enjoy trolling Browns fans a bit by posing for the pics, and even responded to the buzz by posting on X about the Chipotle pic, “salad with double chicken never fails me.”
So what was he doing in Cleveland? He never said specifically, which added to the intrigue, but multiple sources told cleveland.com it had nothing to do with the Browns, who were on the road conducting private workouts with the likes of Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart and Jalen Milroe last week, as well as having dinner with Abdul Carter, who’s still nursing a sore shoulder.
But it doesn’t mean the Browns won’t be interested in Cousins, 36, if the Falcons agree to trade him and he’s willing to waive his no-trade clause.
For starters, that won’t happen until at least after the first day of the NFL Draft on April 24, when Cousins discovers which teams draft a quarterback likely to start right away or at some point during the season.
If the Browns draft Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders at No. 2, for example, Cousins will be much less likely to want to come here, because chances are he’d get “Penix’d” again. That’s what happened last season after Cousins signed his four-year deal with the Falcons last March worth $180 million, including a $50 million signing bonus and $100 million in guarantees. Despite that blockbuster deal, the Falcons drafted Michael Penix No. 8 overall, and replaced Cousins with him for the final three games of the season after Cousins hit the skids.
A four-time Pro Bowler who excelled under Kevin Stefanski in Minnesota first as his quarterbacks coach and then as his coordinator in Minnesota, Cousins wants to start, especially because he’s on the back nine of his career.
So why should a team expect that Cousins will rebound after he faltered down the stretch last season? He went 6-3 in his first nine starts with 17 TDs and 7 INTs en route to a 101.9 rating, including a sweep of the rival Bucs with eight TDs and one pick. He then fell off a cliff, going 1-4 with 1 TD and 9 INTs. But Cousins was coming off Achilles surgery and seemed to run out of gas. He also revealed after the season that he suffered a shoulder and elbow injury in Week 10 that significantly impacted his throwing.
Now fully healthy, Cousins expects to return to his blistering form this season, and has no desire to sit behind a rookie.
But a trade for Cousins would be far more complicated, in part because of the financial implications for the Falcons. They paid him $90 million of his new contract last year, and just gave him his $10 roster bonus two weeks ago as opposed to releasing him. Had they let him go, they would’ve still been on the hook for his $27.5 million base salary this season while the new team could’ve possibly signed him for the veteran minimum of $1.255 million. Now, the Falcons owe him $37.5 million this year, and would need some cap relief in a trade if they agree to let him go.
The choice is between keeping him as a backup at that price — which amounts to $100 million paid out over two years — or get something back from a team willing to shell out anywhere from about $5 million to $15 million in a trade. The new team would then also take on the rest of his contract, including base salaries of $35 million in 2026 and 2027. If it were the Browns, they’d likely restructure the contract, giving him another signing bonus, lowering the bases and adding void years to spread out the cap charges. If he still has plenty left in the tank and could get them contending again, it would be worth it. But they’re also transitioning younger roster for their next Super Bowl window, and might not want to commit that much to an aging veteran.
Besides, as Falcons GM Terry Fontenot said at the NFL Combine, the club will do what’s best for for the team, just like it would in any situation. If they determine that keeping him around as a backup at $37.5 million is prudent, they’ll do it. The only reason to trade him, aside from possible double-digit millions in cap relief, is if they deem it a bad fit for their quarterback room and the development of Penix, who went 1-2 as a starter. But if Penix goes down with an injury, the Falcons have a winner ready to step in, and they’ve already paid him a boatload of money.
The inflection points in a deal for Cousins would be draft weekend, after the draft when the starting QB picture for most teams becomes clear, and after June 1st, when the Falcons would save $27.5 million on their cap this season, carrying only $12.5 million in dead cap as opposed to the full $37.5 million.
As far as the draft capital is concerned, the Falcons, if they decide to let him go, would likely cut their losses and take what they could get. But any deal for Cousins would have to satisfy the Falcons, the player — who has control over his destiny — and the acquiring team, a terribly tricky trifecta.
The other team still needing a quarterback right now is the Steelers, who have the No. 21 pick in the draft. If they don’t land Aaron Rodgers, they’ll likely be interested in Cousins. They also seemingly have their eye on Milroe at 21, and if they draft him, Cousins would have to decide if that’s the right spot for him. He could also wait until a quarterback gets injured and needs a starter. In that case, a team would probably be willing to pay the Falcons a sizable chunk of his salary.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Cousins could be visiting restaurants in Cleveland again soon, but there are still some chains the Browns would have to bust through.
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