The Falcons are waiting for an opportunity to trade quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins is waiting until after the draft to decide whether he'll waive his no-trade clause.
In four weeks, we'll all know whether one or more teams will still be looking for a starting quarterback. At this point, however, the universe seems to be fairly small. It consists of two possibilities: the Steelers and the Browns.
The Titans possibly could join that mix, if they trade the first overall pick and don't draft quarterback Cam Ward. (There's still a chance that will happen, in part because the Titans in recent years have done some unconventional things.) For now, though, it's Cleveland or Pittsburgh for Cousins.
So which one would want him? To the extent the Steelers witnessed his post-Achilles struggles in Week 1 last year, they might not be thrilled about casting their lot with a player who has lost the footrace with Father Time. (Especially since they did precisely that a year ago.) But if Aaron Rodgers doesn't sign (and he still has his arm, despite his advanced age), the Steelers will be stuck.
The Browns make more sense than the Steelers, for a couple of reasons. First, coach Kevin Stefanski spent two years with Cousins in Minnesota. And Stefanski parlayed a final-eight season from Cousins into the job Stefanski now has. Second, Cousins has a low salary for a veteran starter — and the Browns could instantly restructure his $27.5 million, creating nearly $21 million in cap space.
Cousins also could decide to play the waiting game. If/when a starter elsewhere gets injured, he could waive his no-trade clause and rush to the rescue. In the interim, he'd be getting paid his full salary from the Falcons.
There's still a chance Cousins will simply be a highly paid understudy to Michael Penix Jr., and that the Falcons will cut Cousins after the 2025 season. The final pieces won't begin to fall into place until later this month, once the picks have been made and the depth charts come into far greater focus.
For now, Steelers, Browns, Falcons seem to be the top (and perhaps only) options.