Did Falcons' Kirk Cousins reject Browns before Steelers rumors emerged?

Many reporters and analysts have assumed ever since wantaway quarterback Kirk Cousins lost the Atlanta Falcons' starting job in December that he'd want to play for the Cleveland Browns because he had Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator when the two were with the Minnesota Vikings. 

According to NFL insider James Palmer, Cousins may not be all that keen on joining Cleveland this spring. 

"The Browns had called the Falcons very early in this process, I was told, and Kirk kind of squashed that to some extent," Palmer said during his latest Bleacher Report live stream on YouTube, as shared by Troy Montgomery of Steelers Depot. "Kind of made it through certain intermediaries to get back to the Browns that he wasn't interested in going there. Doesn't mean that's shot down for good, but that's what happened in the beginning of this process."

The contract Cousins signed to join the Falcons in March 2024 has a full no-trade clause, and it's believed he doesn't want to go to a club that could spend a high-value draft pick on a signal-caller later in April. Cleveland may not select Colorado's Shedeur Sanders with the draft's second overall choice but could target Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart, Alabama's Jalen Milroe, Louisville's Tyler Shough or a different project for the future during the player-selection process. 

Multiple Browns insiders have said since the final Sunday of March that the team trading for Cousins before or after the upcoming draft "is not likely to happen."

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers may view Cousins as a "break-the-glass emergency" option if Aaron Rodgers either joins the Vikings or stays unsigned through the summer. Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith previously served as the Falcons head coach and may have picked up some inside information that led him to conclude that Cousins is damaged goods after he suffered a torn Achilles in October 2023 and then dealt with multiple setbacks this past season. 

"Smith...still knows plenty of people in [the Falcons' building] and kind of got the word on where things are with Kirk in terms of his play and where he's at in terms of his play as a quarterback," Palmer continued. "The Steelers, obviously, have fallen off."

While Pittsburgh presumably could revisit Cousins-related conversations if Rodgers rejects the AFC North club, it seems the Browns have moved on from possibly pursuing Atlanta's current QB2. Assuming Rodgers does sign with the Steelers, Cousins may find that no team is willing to name him a 2025 Week 1 starter unless a different first-choice option goes down with an injury during training camp or the preseason.