Regardless of whether or not the Cleveland Browns trade wantaway All-Pro pass-rusher Myles Garrett at some point before the 2025 season gets underway, Cleveland will need to address its unsettled quarterback situation ahead of and during the upcoming NFL Draft.
For a piece published on Tuesday, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer revealed if Cleveland could have any interest in current New York Jets QB1 Aaron Rodgers. The Jets are expected to move on from Rodgers before the new league year starts on March 12.
“The Browns are definitely in the market for a veteran bridge quarterback to either start this season or serve as a backup to their rookie QB, but Rodgers probably doesn’t fit the bill,” Cabot explained. “He’ll likely cost more than the Browns are willing to pay and certainly won’t want to sit behind a rookie if the Browns draft Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.”
Cleveland could land Ward or Sanders with the second overall pick of this year’s draft. Back in December, Rodgers insisted he would “mentor the hell out of” a rookie if the Jets held onto the future Hall of Famer and grabbed a quarterback during the player-selection process.
Russ Weakland and Oliver Salt of the Daily Mail reported back in late December that Rodgers viewed the Browns as a potential landing spot at that time. It’s unclear if the 41-year-old wants to continue playing with a team other than the Jets, but it’s worth noting he did accept a significant pay cut in the summer of 2023 to help Gang Green build around him.
While at least one NFC pro director thinks Rodgers still possesses “high-end” arm talent, neither the Browns nor any other team can bank on the veteran staying healthy for 17 full games. A torn Achilles essentially cost Rodgers the entire 2023 season, and he dealt with numerous physical setbacks this past fall.
Meanwhile, Cabot added that Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons “is on the Browns’ radar” and “might be the best option” for Cleveland. The Falcons reportedly will soon set Cousins free after he lost his starting job to 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. in December, but an Atlanta source thinks the 36-year-old could have a bounce-back campaign after he spent last offseason recovering from the torn Achilles he suffered in October 2023.
Cousins had Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator when both were with the Minnesota Vikings during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
As recently as Monday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated mentioned that the Browns “are holding out hope on keeping Myles Garrett in the fold” as they look to find an upgrade at quarterback. If Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry can convince Garrett that either Rodgers or Cousins could lead the 2025 Browns to the playoffs, the one-time Defensive Player of the Year could sign an adjusted contract that includes a pay raise to stay with Cleveland through at least January 2026.
