Russell Wilson rumored top choice for long-suffering AFC franchise

The NFL's free agency period has quieted down quite a bit since a raucous first couple of days. The most-recent news at the quarterback position is that Jameis Winston has signed a two-year deal with the New York Giants, who have apparently not ruled out signing former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, as well.

While the Giants have their eye on Wilson, they're also expected to do everything it takes to land Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the draft, which might put Wilson in a backup spot for the first time in his career. However, there's at least one team desperate enough to consider Wilson as a number one option.

That is of course the Cleveland Browns, and according to Jeremy Fowler at ESPN, they are still pursuing Wilson - with Carson Wentz as a contingency plan. The Browns also hold the number two overall pick, which puts them in range to land Sanders, as well - so they have options.

However, Cleveland's situation is made vastly more complicated by the albatross of a contract that is Deshaun Watson's. Whether it's a case of guilt or broken confidence, Watson offers almost nothing on the field at this point in his career. Getting rid of him isn't an option, either. Cutting Watson before June 1 would come with a hysterical $172 million dead money penalty.

Wilson's game isn't what it used to be, but it's still a big step up over what Cleveland has gotten out of Watson of late. Last season he went 1-6 as a starter and posted a career-low 23.4 QBR, which isn't that far off from Jimmy Clausen territory.

For an encore, the Browns have also invested a stupid amount of money in Myles Garrett, who's now on the books for another four years and $160 million. This means all Cleveland has to choose from are budget options like Wilson or rookies like Sanders.

The Browns could try to wait and see how the draft plays out before they make a move, here. At the moment it seems the major QB pieces are in a holding pattern as everyone waits to see where Aaron Rodgers lands.

More Seahawks on SI stories