NFL Insider Thinks Bengals Should Trade For Star Backup Quarterback Amidst Joe Burrow Absence

CINCINNATI — ESPN's Dan Graziano thinks the Bengals should at least kick the tires on a trade for Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins. The idea is gaining steam around the NFL after Cincinnati lost by a franchise-worst margin of 48-10 to Minnesota on Sunday.

Backup quarterback Jake Browning led Cincinnati to its first 10-point comeback win since 2023 in Week 2, but Week 3 was a disaster. He turned the ball over twice and posted a 23.7 ESPN QBR (67.7 in Week 2).

"It never hurts to ask, right? Cousins wants out of Atlanta, where he signed a four-year contract in the spring of 2024 but was relegated to backup duty by the end of his first season there," Graziano wrote. "I think the Falcons would take the call, but I still think it would cost a lot to pry Cousins out of there. He actually finished Sunday's game for the Falcons after starter Michael Penix Jr. had a miserable time in what turned out to be a 30-0 loss to the Panthers. With all of the quarterback injuries we've already seen (and the potential that the offense doesn't get going around Penix), the Falcons like having a veteran with Cousins' extensive experience in that backup role.

"I also didn't get the sense last week that this was something Cincinnati would consider. I'm not sure they see the 2025 version of Cousins as a marked improvement over Browning, given their familiarity with Browning. But if they're still holding onto hope that Joe Burrow can come back toward the end of the season, and the mission is to keep things afloat until that happens, Browning must look a lot better than he did Sunday. Or else the Bengals will have to look at other options."

Trading for Kirk Cousins at this point in the timeline makes close to zero sense unless its for a Day 3 draft pick and they pay his remaining salary. Cousins is 37 years old, a year removed from an Achilles tear, having posted a measly 47 ESPN QBR last year (Browning had a 60.8 in 2023). There is zero guarantee he will be better than Browning, especially having to learn a completely new offense on the fly.

On top of those fit issues, Cousins would require draft capital going back to Atlanta in a trade, and he's still due a massive salary over the next two seasons that the Falcons won't eat all of. He's owed $70 million combined over the 2026 and 2027 seasons, on top of the rest of his $27.5 million in cash owed to him this season.

The numbers don't make much sense to go after Cousins at this stage of his career.

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