Yes, the Browns like Kirk Cousins better than Atlanta does. So why not trade him? The reason is that the Falcons would have to pay some $37.5 million in stupidity tax (cap charges that they would incur and cannot get out of) in 2025, and there is no way you would do this for a late round draft pick. It's a bit like the Browns' Deshaun Watson contract, which is guaranteed to keep them down for three more years. Nobody will trade for Watson and his bloated salary.
Both teams would like to make such a trade for Cousins, but the immense cap hit on the Atlanta side makes a straight-up deal very unlikely. A trade that could work, however, is if you upped the ante by offering to trade back from number two overall to fifteenth overall. In return the Falcons would have to provide additional draft picks.
If I were Andrew Berry I would insist on 15th overall in 2025 plus a number one draft pick for 2026 and some additional picks in 2025 in addition to Cousins.
Atlanta gets rid of a qb they don't want, and draft generational talent Travis Hunter. They improve themselves in 2025 and beyond despite an unpleasant cap hit this year.
The Browns get a QB that Coach Kevin Stefanski believes in, and re-institutes the Stefanski offense with two tight ends, a fullback and dink-and-dunk passing game. Perfect.
What will make this deal work is if there is a player at 15 that is worth drafting. This observer believes the draft is deep, just not at the quarterback position. I don't have either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders at the top of the draft, but probably both top-ranked quarterbacks will be gone. So, are there 13 position players who would be appropriate? I think there are, and here's my Browns-o-centric list:
1. Travis Hunter, CB, Colo
2. Mason Graham DT, TSUN
3. Armand Membu OT, Missouri
4. Shemar Stewart, Edge, TAMU
5. Will Campbell, OT, LSU
6. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
7. Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
8. Kevin Banks OT, Texas
9. Abdul Carter Edge, Penn State
10. Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
11. Jalon Walker, Edge, Georgia
12. James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee
13. Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
If we get any of these players with 15th overall, I'll be happy.
I might be interested in a quarterback in the second round, like Jalen Milroe (Bama), Jaxson Dart or Quinn Ewers if one of them survives that long. I actually like Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) over Cam Ward (Miami) on the grounds that he is the best at making decisions under pressure. I think he will go top 10, but if the Browns have Cousins, they have to curb their appetite for quarterbacks, even if he survives to number 15 overall.
I like Shemar Stewart a bit better than Abdul Carter because Stewart was out of position at DT, and yet posted Myles Garrett numbers at the Combine. I don't understand the foot injury to Carter, nor do I understand why other analysts think it's fine to ignore it. I do think you have to devalue him slightly despite his immense talent. I don't want to hear just "he will not have surgery." I want to hear, "it will be like it was before the injury." There is a difference.
Ashton Jeanty is at the list among running backs. I disagree vehemently with the notion that you can't draft running backs high in the first round, because they rarely last ten years. So what? Your commitment is four years plus a club option for a fifth, then you can tag him for the sixth year. You only need to concern yourself with six years to recover your investment. I don't see why there is a such a concern about longevity. If the time comes when he cannot play, move on and use the money for a cornerback or something. So I've got a few running backs ranked really high this year.