Rumors won’t swirl because Deshaun Watson seems untradeable but Kirk Cousins, Browns and Falcons win here

Just reading the headline of this article probably led to a number of very quick thoughts:

• No one wants Deshaun Watson
• No one wants Deshaun Watson’s contract
• Why would the Cleveland Browns want another washed-up QB?
• This writer is desperate after the Browns dropped to 3-12
• The Atlanta Falcons are far better off just releasing Kirk Cousins

All of those might be accurate. Heck back in September, we noted that all options with Watson are bad if he continued to play badly including this statement:

No team would want to trade for him as currently constituted

Then Cousins became available, has a no-trade clause and has a history with Cleveland HC Kevin Stefanski.

The math is pretty simple for the Falcons. Cousins has a $10 million bonus due in March which means the team would release him before that triggered. They can do so as “post-June 1st” release to save salary cap space this year by dividing it out over two seasons.

There is no such thing as designating a trade for after June 1st to spread the cap hits out, however, which means the Falcons would need a pretty good reason to keep Cousins on the books. While the details are messy, make sure you check out Jack Duffin’s piece on The OBR for all the potential financials, getting draft capital for Cousins could make it worth it.

In Duffin’s example, the two teams are completing the trade quickly which makes things complicated but he broke down the deal as such:

The Browns send a 2nd, 6th & Watson as well as eating $27.25m to the Falcons for a 4th & Cousins.

What if, however, both teams string things along as Watson recovers from his Achilles injury?

A trade after June 1st would allow both teams to spread cap hits out over two seasons, pushes the draft capital a year later and allows both quarterbacks a few months to get ready for the season. While the last part is less than optimal, Cousins’ familiarity with Stefanski will help and Atlanta will have Michael Penix starting anyway.

The trade benefits everyone:

• Browns get off some salary cap hit and get a QB another year removed from his Achilles injury who has a history with Stefanski
• Falcons get draft capital in exchange for some salary cap space and a little bad PR
• Cousins gets to choose his destination (no-trade clause) but not have Watson looming on a team with a lot of weapons
• Watson returns to a team he was a ball boy for, can rehab out of the spotlight and, if he supports Penix, could rehab his on-field image enough to get a chance to start again in the future

There are obvious negatives:

• Browns are paying draft capital and salary cap space for 2 currently broken QBs
• Falcons take on salary cap for a QB with huge off-the-field issues instead of just moving on from a free agency mistake
• Cousins is limiting himself from hitting the free agent market with a chance to add to what Atlanta already owes him and beyond
• Watson, who is the only one without a choice here, doesn’t have a chance to start with the Falcons

Looking at Duffin’s trade parameters through the eyes of a post-June 1st trade changes things slightly. Trying to be fair to both teams, and not focusing on the financial piece at this point, this is the trade that could make sense after June 1st:

• Browns trade Deshaun Watson, 2026 second-round and fifth-round picks to the Falcons for Kirk Cousins

As noted at the top, anyone trading for Watson is unlikely but Cleveland has to do their due diligence to see if they can somehow help their salary cap and get a quarterback who can play better than Watson even if it costs them draft capital. Atlanta also needs to do what is best for their team even if adding Watson would cause an issue within the fanbase.

SB Nation’s Jeanna Kelley, associate director of NFL and writer for The Falcoholic, noted to this writer that it would not go over well if the Falcons were to trade for Watson and that she would not expect them to unless they immediately released him as well.