“I’d rather have Kirk Cousins at this point”

The Cleveland Browns’ plans to bounce back from their dismal 2024 season, where they finished 3-14, suffered a massive blow in the offseason. Quarterback Deshaun Watson, who suffered a season-ending Achilles rupture seven games into the year, aggravated the injury in January while vacationing in Miami. He’s expected to miss most, if not the entirety, of the 2025 season.

With Watson sidelined, the Browns desperately need a quarterback. They traded for Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller Kenny Pickett, but he’s expected to be the backup. They are reportedly looking for a veteran to lead the offense, and their hunt could end this week as they are scheduled to host free agent Russell Wilson.

According to NFL insider Adam Schefter on Wednesday:

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“Russell Wilson is scheduled to fly tonight to Cleveland to visit with the Browns on Thursday, before being scheduled to fly to New York on Thursday night to visit Friday with the Giants.”

Browns fans weren’t too thrilled about the update and voiced their concern on social media.

“Just what Cleveland needs, another washed up QB. Make sure you overpay him too,” @gwehunt22 wrote.

“Dear God, please no, I’d rather have Kirk at this point,” @PHDcracker posted.

“A never ending clown show,” @gabbgoudy remarked.

Browns QB depth chart: Russell Wilson links suggest team unclear about way forward

If the Browns sign Russell Wilson, he’ll likely be the starter, with Kenny Pickett serving as his backup. However, Cleveland holds the second pick in the 2025 NFL draft and is expected to pick either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders to be the long-term solution to their quarterback conundrum.

Then there’s the Deshaun Watson problem. The quarterback has two years left on his deal with the Browns, and the team cannot afford to cut him as they’d incur a cap hit of $35.6 million this year and an astonishing $89.4 million in the 2026 offseason. They’ll likely have to let him see out his contract before letting him leave as a free agent at the end of the 2026 season.

There’s no clear indication of how the Cleveland Browns intend to proceed. They could be hosting Wilson to gauge his interest in signing a short-term deal until Watson is healthy or when Ward or Sanders is ready to take over the offense. It remains to be seen what Cleveland does, but as things stand, it’s difficult to guess what they are planning.