As the short chapter of Kirk Cousins’ Atlanta Falcons career comes to a close, the obvious connection to the Cleveland Browns won’t go away.

The Browns will be looking for a new quarterback as Deshaun Watson’s experience appears to be over, regardless of whether he’s on the 2025 roster or not. As a result, the Browns are looking for an answer at the quarterback position and likely a shorter-term one without bringing in Sam Darnold in free agency.

Cousins, who was drafted by rookie first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. for underperforming less than a year into his massive three-year contract, is expected to be released by the Falcons this offseason because he does not have a tradeable contract. This means he can choose his next team again this offseason.

An analyst, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler continues to connect the dots between Cousins ​​and his former offensive coordinator in Minnesota, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski. Fowler even goes so far as to call Cousins ​​“manna from heaven” for the Browns considering what his cap price could be.

Tweets from JFowlerESPN

Comparing this situation to Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers after his release from the Denver Broncos, Fowler notes that Cousins ​​is worth around the veteran minimum due to his age, his playing time after returning from his Achilles tendon injury, and the amount of guaranteed money he has would still be available from the Falcons.

There are certainly better options than the 36-year-old Cousins, but if the Browns don’t want to spend a lot of money chasing Sam Darnold or draft either Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, then Cousins ​​could That might be their best option in the short term to get out of the Watson contract.

This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Is Kirk Cousins ​​“manna from heaven” for the Browns?