Latest Kirk Cousins, Browns Trade Rumors and Falcons' 'Tough' Stance on Eating Salary

Signing quarterback Joe Flacco to a contract that can reach as much as $13 million might be a telling indicator about the Cleveland Browns' pursuit of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, according to The MMQB's Albert Breer.

Breer reported Monday the teams "have stayed in touch, from a big-picture standpoint, on a potential Cousins trade over the past couple months."

However, the NFL insider posited that reuniting with Flacco was Cleveland's way of saying it's moving on.

"That the Browns would be willing to pay Flacco $13 million if he starts and performs for them could be a clue that they weren't willing to go much beyond that to get Cousins," Breer wrote. "The Falcons, I've heard, have been tough on the idea that they should take on much of Cousins's salary to facilitate a trade, not wanting to pay down too much of it to 'buy' a draft pick.

"You'd think the Browns would rather have Cousins than Flacco, but my sense is the team views the two similarly. So the number they maxed Flacco out at tells me that the Falcons weren't going pick up even half of Cousins's money for 2025 to push a deal through."

Even if you accept Breer's premise that Cousins is a better option than Flacco in a vacuum, the gap may not be enough to justify the difference in what each veteran signal-caller ultimately costs.

In 14 starts last year, Cousins threw for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and an NFL-high 16 interceptions. He finished 23rd among qualified QBs in QBR (50.4), per ESPN.com.

Flacco had a higher QBR (53.4) in his eight appearances and averaged slightly more yards through the air (251.6) when accounting for the fact he logged just one snap in a 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans.

With Cousins, there are the assets required for the trade on top of his $27.5 million base salary for 2025.

Flacco has his limitations. He turned 40 in January and 2017 was the last time he had double-digit starts in a single season.

All things considered, though, opting for Flacco over Cousins would be a sensible choice for Cleveland. Atlanta, meanwhile, may come to regret taking such a hard line if it can't find a suitor for its highly paid four-time Pro Bowler.