AFC Team Showing Interest in Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Report

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Daniel Oyefusi reported Thursday that one team's offseason evaluations at quarterback will include Atlanta Falcons signal caller Kirk Cousins.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Quarterback Kirk Cousins may have an opportunity to continue his NFL career elsewhere.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Daniel Oyefusi reported Thursday that the Cleveland Browns plan to evaluate the quarterback market this offseason. The ESPN insiders added that Cleveland will include Cousins in its offseason evaluations.

"One team source said "any veteran with starter's talent" will be evaluated by the Browns, including current Atlanta Falcons backup Kirk Cousins, should he become available as expected," Fowler and Oyefusi wrote. "The source conceded that Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, considered the top free agent quarterback, could prove too costly, assuming he's even on the market.

"But the goal is clear: Strengthen the quarterback room with the resources at the team's disposal."

Now, Atlanta Falcons fans shouldn't get too excited. This doesn't mean the Falcons will be able to land something in return for Cousins. It's still very likely that the Falcons will have to release Cousins this offseason to move on from the veteran signal caller.

Cousins, as Russell Wilson did last year, has offset language in his contract. Any money he earns with the Browns or another team in 2025, even if the Falcons release him, would count towards the dead money in Atlanta.

That means, Cousins won't be able to increase his salary for 2025 unless a team agrees to pay him more than what the contract he signed last year is worth. Obviously, Cousins won't be able to earn that kind of deal again after his 2024 campaign.

So, he could sign for the league minimum as Wilson did with the Steelers last March. Such a move would help Cousins' new team bring him in with the smallest cap hit possible.

Signing Cousins also means not giving up a draft pick or some other trade compensation for the quarterback.

In theory, a team could so badly want to acquire Cousins that they offer the Falcons a late-round pick. The Browns fit the bill as an organization so desperate for a signal caller that they make poor decisions.

But in all likelihood, even with the growing interest around Cousins, the Falcons are going to have to release the veteran quarterback and accept the second-highest dead cap hit in NFL history.