Kirk Cousins has spent his entire NFL career with the Washington Redskins and was the starting QB for the last three years, but for whatever reason, the Redskins refused to give Cousins a long-term deal. The team made it obvious they would be moving on from Kirk when they traded for quarterback Alex Smith from Kanas City. Kirk is now set to become a free agent when the new league year begins and could easily become the highest paid player in NFL history.
Kirk has stated that he wants to win and has been attached to teams like the Vikings, Broncos, Cardinals, and Jets, but he’s also made it clear that he wants to get paid.
The team that may be able to provide both of those things is the Cleveland Browns.
The words “winning” and “Cleveland Browns” don’t often come up in the same sentence. In fact, the team has been near the bottom of the NFL for the last two decades. In the last two seasons the team has a 1-31 record. The team has gone through more quarterbacks and coaches than most fans can count, and haven’t shown any signs of improvement. However, with one good offseason the Browns could bounce back and it all starts with signing Kirk Cousins.
Go offense in the draft
Over the last few years the Browns have had a somewhat strange strategy when it comes to the draft. They’ve traded away a ton of picks with teams that wanted to move up, and Cleveland now has a ton of picks in this upcoming draft.
They even have two draft picks in the top four selections and three second-round picks.
Of course, the Browns could trade away these picks again, but new GM John Dorsey hasn’t shown any signs of wanting to trade their current picks. Instead, the Browns can stay at those picks and start filling up their roster with young talent.
Cleveland can get young offensive talent like running back Sqauon Barkley out of Penn State and offensive guard Quenton Nelson out of Notre Dame to add to some of the promising players they already have.
In Washington Kirk never had much of a run game and the team struggled to put reliable weapons around him, but the Browns are in the perfect spot to give him both of those pieces.
By getting a few pieces in the draft and signing Cousins, the Browns could instantly have one of the most dangerous offenses in the league.
Spend some money
As it stands right now, the Browns have nearly a hundred million dollars in cap space which is unheard of and is by far the most in the NFL this offseason. Not only does this mean they can pay Kirk Cousins the type of money he’s looking for, it also means they’ll have a chance to grab a few other big name free agents or easily have room for trades.
Star wide receivers are set to become free agents, and the Browns may be able to sign star running back Le’Veon Bell away from the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers. With so much money John Dorsey could even look to improve the Browns' defense by signing a player like cornerback Malcolm Butler.
It’s pretty obvious Butler’s relationship with the Patriots is over, and he’s made it clear he wants to be paid.
Even though Cleveland may not seem like destination most free agents want to go it’ll be hard for some of these young stars to turn down the type of money the Browns will be able to offer. Cousins would find the contract he’s been looking for and even the weapons he needs in Cleveland.
