Cleveland Browns Acquire QB in Absurd Trade Proposal

The Cleveland Browns are being urged to swing an absolutely absurd trade for a quarterback during the NFL offseason.

Nov 3, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) throws a pass against the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns are in desperate need of a quarterback, but to what lengths will they be willing to go for a potential solution?

The Browns own the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, so they really could just wait until April and take on then. That's actually probably what they should do.

However, Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox is suggesting that Cleveland pursues another option: a blockbuster trade.

Knox is proposing that the Browns trade cornerback Denzel Ward to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for Kirk Cousins, a 2025 fifth-round draft pick and a 2026 third-rounder.

"The Browns do hold the second overall pick in the 2025 draft, though there doesn't appear to be a 'sure thing' at the QB position in this draft class," Knox wrote. "Adding Cousins would give Cleveland a capable bridge option while awaiting a chance to find a long-term solution."

Even if the Browns aren't entirely sold on either Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, it just wouldn't make much sense for them to trade Ward for Cousins, who was benched by the Falcons this past season and carries a cap hit of $40 million next season and then $57.5 million in both 2026 and 2027.

There is absolutely a possibility that Cleveland trades Ward, but if the Browns are going to do that, it will surely be for some very substantial draft capital; not for a 36-year-old quarterback who led the league in interceptions this past year.

The only way Cleveland should be interested in Cousins is if Atlanta cuts him. In that scenario, the Browns could sign him to a cheap one-year deal.