As wild of a rumor as it is to suggest that the Cleveland Browns are kicking the tires on a trade for Dak Prescott, it reveals something important about the Browns’ moves ahead of the NFL draft as it pertains to their starting quarterback vacancy.
After Russell Wilson signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants, it became painfully obvious that the team had to pivot to one of the much worse free agent options on the market or just hone in on a rookie quarterback that they trust enough to start Week 1 in 2025.
More importantly, though, is the fact that the team still hasn’t made a move for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, who would be an ideal fit with head coach Kevin Stefanski in Ohio. With Wilson off the board, the Falcons have to know that they have all the leverage in the world to get a ton from the Browns in exchange for Cousins, who is slated to be an expensive Michael Penix Jr. backup.
Cleveland probably also knows this, which would make them leaking such a ridiculous rumor to someone like Bruce Drennan make so much more sense.
Browns clearly looking to regain leverage in Kirk Cousins trade negotiations
With Drennan reporting that he heard the Browns were pursuing a trade for Prescott from a source within the Browns’ organization, it’s just clear that the team is signalling to Atlanta – in a slightly embarassing fashion – that they’re fine with evaluating other blockbuster trades and sending any picks meant for the Falcons to the Cowboys instead.
Prescott is a much younger and more reliable option than Cousins, too, so surely a haul for him would be ginormous and likely involved Deshaun Watson’s albatross of a contract. However, it’s just unlikely to happen because financials for Dallas would be far too horrendous to stomach if they traded Prescott this season.
Will this clear leverage ploy work for the Browns? Well, it doesn’t seem likely. Cousins has a no-trade clause. Even if the Falcons were ready to ship him off to the Browns, he can very well say no for now and wait until the draft to see where he’d want to go. Until the Browns decide what they’re doing with their top pick, any trade involving Cousins is likely paused.
But, Cleveland is clearly hoping that now, the Falcons won’t play hardball with them knowing they have Prescott in their back pocket (not really).
Tagged Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Dak Prescott, Kirk Cousins.
