The only kind of QB the Browns are going to get in FA is the 2nd/3rd tier kind. Cousins will have his pick of 3 or 4 teams. Why would he go to the sad sack Browns? So, they'll wind up with a guy like Tyrod Taylor or maybe McCarron. And they'll vastly overpay if they go the FA route.
The smart move is for them to use that first pick on a QB. It is the cheapest, least risky. BUT.....they need to sign a vet QB who can run the show for a year and not throw any rookie QB to the wolves. But, they won't. Very very hard to turn around a flailing franchise like that. And I don't think Hue Jackson is the guy to do it no matter who the QB is.
As for Cousins: clearly he wants the big bucks. Not blaming him. But he's been around long enough to know that his longevity will be in direct relation to the team he signs with. I don't think money will be the factor because any team bidding for his services knows that he will surpass Jimmy G's contract numbers. My guess is the Jets. They have a pretty good team as is. Big city market. But what they have most is salary cap space. I think the best fit is Denver; but Denver is too close to the cap to pursue a single player who will probably get something like a $28 -$30 mil per year deal. Denver is already going to have to let some vets go (like Talib) to sign a full roster.
