If you started with the belief that there wasn’t a good veteran option for the Cleveland Browns in their pursuit of a starting quarterback in this first week of the NFL’s player movement period, the race is probably just about where you thought it would be.
Also, we agree. The timing is as bad as the quarterback play Cleveland got last season.
For the folks in charge, though, sitting this one out is not an option. The Browns don’t have a starting quarterback despite still having around $170 million in cap commitments to Deshaun Watson, so it’s bargain-basement shopping time for a franchise trying to sell its fan base on the idea that it’s closer to the 2023 11-win team than the 3-14 disaster it was last season.
There’s a double whammy when it comes to timing and placement: Cleveland has the second pick in a draft that has one top-tier quarterback, University of Miami’s Cam Ward. And it’s not like Ward is a sure thing, but every public indication is that the Tennessee Titans will either take Ward at No. 1 or auction the pick to a team willing to give up a whole lot to move up to select him.
Given that the quarterback is the most important position in sports, there should be bidders — the Browns among them. But if the Titans like Ward, meeting their asking price could end up being nearly impossible.
In any case, the shopping continues. And the Browns are one of at least two teams interested in a more-than-slightly-used Russell Wilson, who spent time Thursday inside the Browns’ facility and is scheduled to make another free-agent visit Friday with the New York Giants.
Russell Wilson was 6-5 as a starter in Pittsburgh last season. (Justin Berl / Getty Images)
Right now, we don’t know exactly what Wilson might want — or what the teams hosting him might be willing to give in terms of financial commitments and playing-time promises. While the Browns hold pick No. 2, the Giants are right behind them at No. 3 next month, so this could become a multi-layered staredown.
Neither team has (or could) hide its quarterback needs. For a veteran passer still available at this stage, it’s not just about the money. It’s the reality that a drafted rookie looms, even if that rookie isn’t picked in the first round.
But with the Browns and Giants — and Wilson, Kirk Cousins and any other former starting quarterback who’s still potentially available — we’re talking desperation here, not dividing the beggars from the choosers.
Sam Darnold received most of the payday he was expected to get. The Las Vegas Raiders traded to reunite Geno Smith, not Wilson, with head coach Pete Carroll. Derek Carr remained in New Orleans, Daniel Jones chose the Indianapolis Colts, Justin Fields went to the New York Jets, and Aaron Rodgers is somewhere between Bangladesh and Pittsburgh, reportedly keeping the Steelers waiting on his next step.
Somewhat predictably, it feels like the Browns are down to either Wilson or Cousins in their chase for an opening-day starter and at least a temporary No. 1 quarterback. Wilson being available and in the building for a few hours this week makes him the top option for now. Cleveland explored the idea of trading for Wilson in 2022 before Denver got him, and then Wilson played against the Browns twice last season for the Steelers.
There’s enough familiarity there that the Browns felt like getting Wilson in the building was a necessary step, and they must feel like there’s at least somewhat of a blueprint for getting him to succeed.
If he’s the guy, the Browns can say he’s always been an accurate passer who’s avoided interceptions and should be hungry to prove he can still play. The Steelers won Wilson’s first four starts in October after he missed time with a calf injury, but he’s a free agent now in large part because Pittsburgh lost four straight to end the regular season and then was bounced by the Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card round.
Cousins remains under contract with the Falcons, and multiple reports say Atlanta plans to pay Cousins the $10 million roster bonus he’s due by the end of the weekend to at least temporarily keep him rather than cut him loose. Though most teams don’t pay $10 million bonuses to quarterbacks who have been replaced, and a lot of teams let the player find the best opportunity for himself elsewhere in this situation, if Cousins is under contract by early next week, we’ll assume the Falcons believe they have leverage to get at least a third-day draft pick and some financial relief in return for eventually trading him. Given the market, they’re probably right.
If this is really a race, the Browns should try to secure Wilson, then focus on improving the skill group around him. Wilson threw to Jerry Jeudy, the Browns’ No. 1 wide receiver, for two seasons in Denver. Whether or not Jeudy would view a reunion as a positive is uncertain, but in either case, the Browns are betting on experience, professionalism and as much certainty as can be had.
Wilson and Cousins are 36. Cousins played for Browns coach Kevin Stefanski in Minnesota in 2018 and 2019, and that sparked the dot-connecting that dates back to the Falcons benching Cousins in December. Part of envisioning Cousins with the Browns was the perceived price, and that’s another area that’s both unclear and potentially complicated at this stage. Because his Atlanta salary is guaranteed and is headed toward counting $40 million on the Falcons’ cap for 2025 either way, most expected he’d be cut by now and be in a situation similar to the one that led Wilson to cost the Steelers just $1.2 million last season.
Cleveland can create more cap room if needed, and the restructure of offensive tackle Jack Conklin’s deal was always a near certainty as part of that. But the Browns would still prefer not to pay top-shelf prices for the kind of temporary solution they’re seeking, and they’re still having to closely track every commitment they make. Watson’s current cap number for 2026 is $89 million, and the Browns had to cut his 2025 number in half just to become cap-compliant, so money could be a factor. We’ll presumably find out soon if there’s going to be a Browns-Giants bidding war for Wilson.
Is there going to be a winner in that scenario? That’s harder to project, but the Browns have been firm in their organizational belief that they’re not facing a rebuild, that they wouldn’t move on from Myles Garrett and that they’d have the resources and vision to retool and improve in the period that started on Monday.
Right now, the newly acquired Kenny Pickett is the only healthy quarterback under contract. Though Pickett told Cleveland reporters he believes he’ll get the opportunity to compete for a starting job, the Browns went on to recruit Wilson after adding Pickett and almost certainly view the 2022 first-round pick as just a piece of an evolving puzzle. If there’s a quarterback worth taking in the first round — Ward or someone else — the Browns wouldn’t let the presence of either Pickett or Wilson affect their plans.
Even the most ardent believer in this Browns roster would acknowledge that the best path forward is hitting a home run with a quarterback in the draft. The Browns have shown they’re willing to outspend just about anyone, but they have an older roster with a lot of bloated contracts and obvious question marks. Taking a shot on Wilson having one good season left isn’t the worst thought, but think about this franchise’s past ideas.
For now, anyway, the chances that the Browns are a legit playoff contender seem small to anyone outside the building. Until we see much differently, no 36-year-old quarterback is going to change that.
(Top photo: Lauren Bacho / Associated Press)
