If there's one team that's definitely going to be in the market to add a quarterback this offseason, it's the Cleveland Browns. Although they do have Deshaun Watson under contract, he tore his Achilles again while rehabbing from his original Achilles injury and that setback could cause him to miss some or even all of the 2025 season.
If Watson has to miss the 2025 season, that means that Browns are going to be looking for a new starting quarterback. So who should they consider for the job? There will be plenty of options out there, so let take a look at a few of them.
Free agents
After leading the Vikings to a 14-3 season, there's no guarantee he's going to be back in Minnesota. Darnold is set to become a free agent in March, which means he could move on. Although it seems unlikely that the Vikings would let him get away -- at the minimum, they could simply hit him with the franchise tag -- if he does become available, the Browns should definitely give him a call.
The Browns also might want to make a call to two quarterbacks who currently play for the Steelers. The first one is Russell Wilson. After getting off to a hot start in Pittsburgh, Wilson crashed back to Earth over the final four weeks of the season with the steelers' ending the season on a four-game losing streak that happened mostly because the offense couldn't move the ball. If the Browns feel like Wilson has lost his fastball, they could also call Justin Fields, who's also slated to be a free agent. Fields might be intrigued at the idea of playing for an offensive head coach who might be able to unlock his potential.
Wilson isn't the only quarterback with Super Bowl experience who will likely be available. The Browns could also make a call to Jimmy Garoppolo, who's slated to become a free agent in March. Garoppolo spent the 2024 season with the Rams and although he didn't play much, he did start in Week 18 and he made the most of it, throwing for 334 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-25 loss to the Seahawks. If the Browns are looking for a steady veteran who could serve as a bridge QB, Garoppolo wouldn't be the worst choice.
Quarterbacks who could become available
The most intriguing name out there is probably Cousins and that's because he actually has a history with Browns coach Kevin Stefanski. The two spent two seasons together in Minnesota (2018-19), including a 2019 season where Stefanski served as Cousins' offensive coordinator. The familiarity between the two might make Cousins the perfect stopgap quarterback to come in and start for at least one year. If the Cousins has success, he could stick around for another year or two. On the other hand, the Browns could also draft a quarterback and let that QB sit behind Cousins for a year (Although cousins might not be on board with that after what happened in Atlanta).
We took a look at the QB market for 2025 last week and Cody Benjamin actually projected that Cousins would end up in Cleveland (You can see his full story here).
At this point, it's almost a certainty that Rodgers won't be returning to New York. If the Jets decide to cut him, the Browns would be an interesting landing spot. For one, after spending his career in both Green Bay and New York, he's already used to playing in cold-weather, so the frigid late-season temperatures won't bother him. Also, if Rodgers is willing to be a game-manager, the Browns have a good defense and solid enough weapons on offense that he could at least make them competitive. With his career winding down, Rodgers would likely be motivated to win.
For the first two weeks of the 2024 season, Carr looked like a possible MVP candidate, but then the rest of the season happened. Although Carr did struggle at times in 2024, one of his best games of the season actually game against the Browns when he completed 77.8% of his passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-14 win over Cleveland. At this point in his career, he's a solid game manager who can make the occasional big play and that's the type of player who could potentially be successful in Kevin Stefanski's offense.
Possible trade targets
It seems unlikely that the Browns would give away draft capital to add a quarterback, but we'll toss in a few names here, just in case they go that route. The most obvious name is Geno Smith, who actually might be a good fit in Cleveland. Smith's future is up in the air in Seattle and the Seahawks would likely optimistically answer the phone if the Browns called about a possible trade.
As for Browning and Willis, they've both been serviceable backups who thrived when forced to start over the past two seasons. Although Willis struggled in Tennessee for two seasons, he thrived under Matt LaFleur in Green Bay, going 2-0 this season while Jordan Love was out with an injury. Stefanski is a smart offensive mind who could probably also get a lot of production out of Willis. On Browning's end, the Bengals might not be willing to part with their backup quarterback after watching him go 4-3 to close the 2023 season with Joe Burrow out, but the Browns could still make the call. Browning and Willis would be cheaper options and they could also sit behind a possible rookie, which brings us to our final option.
Find a QB in NFL Draft
Finally, the easiest option might just be to draft a quarterback. The Browns have clinched the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, which means if they want to take a QB, now is the time to do it. The top two quarterbacks in the class are widely viewed to be Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and one of them will definitely be available when the Browns are on the clock in April.
CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson actually has the Browns taking Sanders in his latest mock draft (You can see his full mock here).
The Browns thought that trading for Watson in 2022 would solve their quarterback problems, but instead, they've only gotten worse. Since Watson's arrival, the Browns have started eight different quarterbacks, including Watson, Jacoby Brissett, Joe Flacco, Jameis Winston, PJ Walker, Jeff Driskel, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe.
If the Browns could get consistent play at the QB position, they'd almost certainly be much more competitive, but that just hasn't happened over the past three years.
