Time for my first mailbag of 2025. Here we go …
From Craig Evans (@CraigEvans06): You think the Browns land Cousins or Rodgers, and if so, do they wait to draft a QB until 2026/27?
Craig, I think Kirk Cousins is a very viable option for the Cleveland Browns.
We reported in November that Cleveland was planning to bring back Deshaun Watson in 2025, faced with the reality that his contract (and injury) presents, but that it’d build out the quarterback room around him differently this time. The last couple of years, it’s been structured to support him. In 2025, the Browns will try and put competition in that room.
What’s tricky of course is the money. Watson is due $46 million next year, fully guaranteed, with the same number and guarantee looming in 2026. The Browns restructured this month to ease the cap damage, but they’ll have to take their medicine at some point—and logistically would have a very difficult time absorbing much more quarterback money. So they have to be creative in finding an answer.
One way to deal with it would be to draft a quarterback in the top five. The Browns currently hold the third pick. The trouble is this year’s class is very shaky, and there’s no guarantee that Cleveland will get through the process and like Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward or whoever else enough to take one that high.
Another option would be the veteran reclamation route, and try to find Cleveland’s version of Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield or Geno Smith—all three of whom have taken their current teams to the playoffs after washing out of multiple organizations. Along those lines, Justin Fields could be a name to consider.
And then, there’s Cousins. He was with Kevin Stefanski for two years in Minnesota, with Stefanski as his position coach in 2018 and his coordinator in ’19. Cousins would also likely come in, like Russell Wilson did in Pittsburgh, on the veteran minimum, with the Atlanta Falcons paying the freight and the Browns simply paying an offset. And, yes, he’ll be 37 in August, but he’ll also be another year removed from his Achilles injury with something to prove.
The more you think about it, the more it makes sense. In fact, because Cousins could come so cheap (presuming Atlanta can’t pull off a trade), you could even add him and a quarterback in the draft. Then, you could just let Cousins, Watson and the rookie play it out—not a bad way to make the best out of a tough circumstance.
From Ricker81 (@D_Ricker81): What do you think will happen with the Giants (Schoen/Daboll) and what do you think should happen, if they are different?
I think that owner John Mara will sit down with both guys, get their plan for 2025, and decide from there. It’s really hard to judge what happens next. The two will be judged independently of one another, that I know, and it’s certainly possible that Mara’s decision could be affected by his outside options—if, say, the New York Giants knew they’d land Mike Vrabel, who could bring the Maras some Bill Parcells vibes.
And even the decision in a vacuum is difficult. On one hand, I get the Giants’ desire not to turn everything over again—the past decade has been chaotic inside that proud franchise, with five head coaches and three GMs employed over that span. I also think Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll have a solid foundation of really good players, with the quarterback decision of 2023 undermining a lot of things. On the other, the Giants have been one of the worst teams in football the past two years, and are worse this year than last.
Add it all together, and I’d imagine if the Giants make a change it’ll be with a plan for what’s next in mind, rather than just a hard reset with no roadmap for what’s ahead.
From Kent Schrag (@TheBlockO): Bengals sign Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase?
Kent, a month ago, I’d have said this was hard but easy. You don’t want to let either guy go, but there are financial realities that come with running a football team, and the choice between Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins is academic (good as Higgins is, Chase is different).
Now? After how Joe Burrow and his top two receivers have played over the past month, I’m moving to the do-whatever-it-takes-to-keep-both camp. The three are playing too well together not to at least take a swing at what could cost, between the three of them, around $120 million per year. Next year would be a number a little less than 45% of projections for next year’s cap (obviously, those numbers can be massaged).
There is some precedent here. The Indianapolis Colts decided to pay Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne all at once. But, of course, that was a different time. In Indy’s championship 2006 season, those three had a combined cap number of just over $22 million on a $102 million cap. At the time, those three were on contracts averaging just over $30 million per year. At the time, the Colts also had Edgerrin James on a big contract, with a first-round tight end, Dallas Clark, on the roster.
So, that was an example of dumping a pretty extreme amount of resources (and don’t forget left tackle Tarik Glenn and center Jeff Saturday!) into one side of the ball. And Cincinnati’s investment, by the numbers alone, would be even more extreme. But I now believe it’s worth trying and, if you read my Tuesday notes, it sure sounds like Zac Taylor thinks so, too.
From Henry Matthews (@henrymHuss26H): What do you think led the schedule-makers to put two AFC North games on Saturday? I thought those games would be on Sunday to really heighten the drama.
Henry, it’s pretty simple. They didn’t have many options. Twelve of 14 playoff spots are already locked in. Five of eight division titles are won. And they really wanted to create the extra two broadcast windows Saturday, so this is what you get.
It makes sense to stack it this way, too. Why? Because if the Pittsburgh Steelers-Bengals game was first, then a Bengals win (and based on how Cincinnati is playing, it’s not exactly a far-fetched idea) would render the Baltimore Ravens and Browns matchup irrelevant. Conversely, while a Ravens win in the early game would end the Steelers’ AFC North title hopes, Pittsburgh would still be playing for seeding, and the Bengals are playing to get in, regardless.
It was the cleanest option on a slate that didn’t present many of them.
From Billy Conway (@bonescon): Is the NFL ever going to switch to a draft lottery? With 17 (and possibly 18) games, there are more meaningless games with playoff-bound teams resting starters or bad teams deciding to shut it down (Cleveland) that are unfairly determining the draft order.
Billy, when I’ve raised this to NFL people in the past, the answer I’ve gotten is that they don’t believe they have a problem, and employing a lottery could lead to more, not less, tanking. I’d argue that the proliferation of analytics departments within teams has made creative roster management (i.e. tanking) more prominent at the end of the year. Mostly because analytics departments will put the cost of falling, say, five to 10 spots in the draft order in context.
I don’t think a lottery is on the horizon. But, I still think it’s worth considering.
From alise (14-2; 4-12) (@ajdavis22800): Any chance the Vikings actually keep Sam Darnold and redshirt McCarthy again in 2025?
Alise, yes. It’d cost more than $40 million for 2025 to franchise Darnold. But it’d be similar to what the Chargers did in ’05. In that circumstance, San Diego drafted Philip Rivers to replace Drew Brees in ’04, only for Brees to beat Rivers out in camp that summer. Brees then lit it up in ’04, the Chargers won 12 games and then franchised Brees. Brees hurt his shoulder at the end of ’05, and the rest is history.
In doing things that way, I believe the Chargers gave themselves the greatest chance to get the quarterback position right long-term. And it turns out they had two really good options. In this case, it’d be more costly, because of what the tag is in 2025. But it might be the best course for the Vikings, who have a lot of things going the right way for the franchise.
From Nick Merriam (@nickwithsports): What are the chances Kliff Kingsbury pulls a Ben Johnson and has no interest leaving a good situation in Washington?
Nick, I think there’s a real chance of that. Kingsbury has taken care of his money and doesn’t need to chase the next dollar. He’s also found a fountain of football youth in Washington, rediscovering his love for coaching there. Do I think he’d love to have another crack at being a head coach? Yes. But I also think he appreciates what he’s a part of with Dan Quinn and Jayden Daniels. And he won’t walk away from it for just any opportunity.
From Ike (@Ikelax82): Does Joe Brady get a HC gig next year?
Ike, I believe he’ll be asked. But I don’t think his approach will be similar to Ben Johnson’s, where he knows, because of what he’s a part of in Buffalo, that he has the luxury of being a bit selective. Remember, he’s already experienced a bit of a bottoming out. His name got hot after his historic year with LSU in 2019. Then, he got off to a good start as an NFL offensive coordinator in 2020 at Carolina, and … then the wheels came off and he got canned in-season in ’21.
He was runner-up for the Falcons job in January of 2021 and impressed other teams on the interview circuit. So, Brady’s trajectory could’ve been different if things broke another way (like if Arthur Smith took a different job that year).
The bottom line is that everyone is marked by their own history. I’m sure, for Brady, going through all that gives him an appreciation for his time in Buffalo. And for how fickle stuff can be if you don’t have a Burrow or Josh Allen pulling the trigger for you. So, yes, I think he’ll be just a little picky.
Frpm Ghost (@RushBaby1980): Is Brian Flores a real possibility for the Bears?
Ghost, yes, he is. He’s a Boston College teammate of GM Ryan Poles. He’s in Minnesota, where Kevin Warren worked for a decade and a half—and reviews have come back from the Minnesota Vikings to Warren raving about the job Flores has done. He’ll have to answer, of course, for what went wrong with Tua Tagovailoa in Miami, given that he’d have a young quarterback to raise in Chicago. But, yes, I’d expect the Bears to take a long look at Flores.
From Joey Elbows (@chiefn_joseph): What should the Seahawks do with Geno?
Joey, I don’t think they have to do anything. He’s due $25 million for next year. He’s a good starting quarterback. The new scheme there—with its heavy reliance on drop-back passing, without as much emphasis in the run game and play-action—has hurt Smith a bit, and that’s been acknowledged internally. So, some stuff can certainly be fixed and, at worst, Smith can be a solid bridge for another year.
What could complicate matters is if Smith is looking for an extension, given how the quarterback market has exploded. Either way, I’d expect the Seattle Seahawks to take a long look at some future options for the position (which GM John Schneider always does).
From Nik Atanackovic (@Nik_Atanackovic): What should the 49ers do with Brock Purdy?
Nik, the San Francisco 49ers should attack it head-on, and see if they can find a middle ground in January or February to do an extension. The Niners are going to want to have certainty at the position and avoid the traffic jam of big contracts to get back on the road for 2025. Some changes, for sure, are coming to that roster. More coherent, sustainable decisions on those would come if they knew where they were at with Purdy, who they still see as their future.
From Jason (@RabbitohCards): Who coaches the Jags in 2025? And, just as important, who is drafting the players? Shad Khan can’t run it back, can he?
Jason, I think the Jacksonville Jaguars could be the Johnson team. If they are, I think that Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark would be a name to watch. But that’s an educated guess at this point. And, no, Khan can’t just run it back.
From Monte (@MONTECRI5TO): Who are the QBs we should keep an eye on for teams that miss on Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward?
I think Quinn Ewers (Texas), Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), Jalen Milroe (Alabama) and Carson Beck (Georgia) are the next names. I have talked to scouts who believe LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier might be the best one—but he’s returning to school. And others believe that Penn State’s Drew Allar might have the highest ceiling. He’s announced he’s returning, but if he puts together another big playoff game or two, and looks like, say, a top-20 lock, I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that he reverses course.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cleveland Could Be the Next Quarterback Reclamation Destination .