The 2025 Could Should Possibly Maybe Be Browns Quarterback List
It’s that time of year again where us Browns fans are trying to not let the offseason dread hit us. We sit back and watch other teams play postseason football and yearn for the day when it can be us freezing our butts off in snow-covered seats. [Unless Brook Park happens and we get a dome. That’s another topic.] We all know the quarterback position is the most important on the field, and we can use Washington as a target for Cleveland: they had the second pick, took the quarterback they liked, and changed their season around. So let’s try to fix the QB spot for the orange and brown.
Let’s get some primer stuff out of the way: these are going to be veteran QB rankings/lists/ideas. We know Cleveland will draft a quarterback this year, we just don’t know when. It’s possible that they use the No. 2 pick on Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, they could trade down from No. 2 overall or trade up from No. 34 or wait into the 3rd or 4th round to select Quinn Ewers or Jalen Milroe or Jaxson Dart or heck even Will Howard for all I know. We know they will take one at some point. This is about the “bridge” quarterback that will be brought in to either start all, part, or none of the 2025 season.
One other thing before we get started — I’m treating the Deshaun Watson situation as though he is not going to be around in 2025 because the writing is on every wall in Berea that he won’t be with the team. From the players comments about the position and the offense brought in to “give him the best chance to succeed” and the changes to the offensive coaching staff (a return to head coach Kevin Stefanski’s style of play and philosophy), all signs point to No. 4 being donezo in Cleveland. But I don’t think the team will be able to get out of his guaranteed deal. The machinations that it would take to relieve the team of the full weight of his deal would be too massive to undertake and the potential harm to the team’s reputation with players would be even worse than it is now, so his cap hit will still stink, but his presence will not be around. So let’s start this off!
Tier 1: He might not be available but could be and thusly leads the list
Players: Kirk Cousins, Geno Smith, Derek Carr
There have been rumors and leaks of rumors and whispers of leaks of rumors that Kirk Cousins will be cut this offseason since they drafted his replacement in 2024 by selecting Michael Penix No. 8 overall. It would come with a $35 million dead cap hit for Atlanta, but Cousins does have offset language in his contract that would allow for him to be signed to a new team for around $1 million. Think Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh this past year. He gets my first spot if he is cut because the production-to-cost ratio would be huge. Yes, he struggled in 2024 coming back from his own Achilles injury and was benched for Penix late in the season, but I’m firmly of the belief that the year after the year after is when a player looks and feels better coming off a major injury.
Geno Smith was mentioned by Jared Mueller of Dawgs By Nature to be someone made available via trade this offseason. Smith had a quietly good season in Seattle, throwing for the fourth-most yards in the NFL at 4,320, alongside 21 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and the third-best completion percentage at 70.4%. Smith would be my favorite option if he was actually made available, but Seattle doesn’t have a long-term option on the roster. Maybe it’s an “extension or trade” situation, as Smith is a free agent after 2025? Who knows, but he is my clubhouse leader if he goes on the block.
Before Watson was acquired, Carr was near the top of my list for potential replacements since it became obvious that Baker Mayfield had worn out his welcome in Cleveland. Now, after he scuttled through 2024 with the first big injury of his career, the taste has left me wanting. Throwing 2,145 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions, and a bevy of hospital balls that have injured receivers all year, Carr is at least a known commodity and would feasibly be welcome in a dropback push-the-ball-downfield Stefanski style offense. Another hit against Carr is cost: he carries cap hits of $51m and $61m in 2025 and 2026, respectively.
TIER 2: Late Blooming successes that are probably going to be retained
Players: Sam Darnold, Justin Fields
Sam Darnold and Justin Fields are similar and different. Both have shined at times, but there is no fan base that would be wholly excited to have them lead their teams as QB1 without a backup plan. Both players are free agents for 2025 and could return to the teams they played for in 2024, Darnold in Minnesota and Fields in Pittsburgh. It wouldn’t be a surprise if either one cashed in this season and made some bank, likely putting themselves out of the running for Cleveland and their cap space issues, but both haven’t had enough prolonged success that anyone would be blamed for wanting to see them do it again.
Darnold played for an offense in Minny that is similar to the one Stefanski will employ in Cleveland, which would be a benefit, but with his hire apparent in JJ McCarthy coming off a torn ACL, are the Vikings ready to reboot so quickly after being the team with the best record as a fifth seed? Also, his play against the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams, which represented his last two games of the season, are hardly things you want to put on film: 411 yards on 43-of-81 attempts with only one touchdown and one interception. Case in point: the LA Rams had 38 sacks in the regular season and had nine against Darnold in the divisional round of the playoffs. Could a case of recency bias lower his cost?
Fields is a different bag of tricks for Stefanski. It’s no secret that pocket passing is more in line with his plan which is not Fields’ strength. His best gift is his legs, getting out in space and being on the run. I don’t know how much coach wants to go back to the well of improvising QBs and playing from the gun. Mark me down and intrigued but unlikely.
Tier 3: Random dudes doing random things until a rookie is ready
Players: Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett, Joe Flacco, Taylor Heinicke, Gardner Minshew, Mac Jones
This is the catch-all tier. The guys who would absolutely come with the caveat of “we want Rookie QB XYZ to get some reps before he sees some time” from Stefanski. Winston started games for Cleveland this year and looked good and awful combined, and there have been rumblings that he would be interested in returning. Garoppolo is the white whale of Browns Twitter, and he easily could come in and start a few games before getting hurt or earning a benching. Flacco and Brissett have both been in town under Stefanski offenses and done well when called upon. Mariota, Heinicke, Minshew and Jones are all flotsam and jetsam that have been everywhere in a Chase Daniel type of way. None inspire confidence, all could win a game or two, and are “break glass in case of emergency” guys.
There are others like Aaron Rodgers or trading for Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys if they do hire Deion Sanders and he wants his son in the Lone Star state, but the idea of adding yet another circus to the big top in Rodgers seems unfeasible and the shots remain entirely too long for Dak to be moved for that to happen.
My rankings:
So if it’s up to me, and it’s my article so it is, here are my top ten rankings for who I would want most to least of those listed above:
Geno Smith
Kirk Cousins
Sam Darnold
Justin Fields
Jameis Winston
Derek Carr
Jimmy Garoppolo
Jacoby Brissett
Joe Flacco
Gardner Minshew
My Guess:
As of January 23, my guess on who is starting Week 1 in Cleveland is Kirk Cousins. I can see him getting out of Hotlanta with a good chunk of cash in a safe at home and looking for a soft spot to land, and why not return to the coach that had him playing his best ball in Stefanski.
