The Cleveland Browns have been contenders to add a veteran quarterback all offseason, and that candidacy is only stronger after a monster performance in the NFL draft last weekend.
GM Andrey Berry knocked it out of the park for a second consecutive year, in no small part due to the selections of wide receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston at Nos. 24 and 39, respectively. The two join Jerry Jeudy and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. as top pass-catching options for whomever starts at quarterback.
Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson are the two primary suitors for the job, though the team stated it has no plans to trade Dillon Gabriel following the selection of hyper-athletic QB Taylen Green in Round 6.
All signs point to the Browns hunting a QB in next year’s draft. However, analysts have often connected the team to veteran talents like Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson during the offseason. If Cleveland is interested and willing to engage in a trade, former Browns starter Jacoby Brissett is a logical option.
Cardinals Predicted to Deal Jacoby Brissett Before Trade Deadline
GettyQuarterback Jacoby Brissett of the Arizona Cardinals.
Brissett took over for an injured Kyler Murray as the Arizona Cardinals quarterback. The team released Murray this offseason, signed Garnder Minshew to a one-year deal and drafted Carson Beck out of Miami in the third round Saturday.
Brissett, who will earn a base salary of less than $5 million in 2026 and has just $1.5 million in guarantees, wants a new deal and sat out Phase 1 of the team’s offseason workout program after issuing that request.
“How the Cardinals handle the quarterback room will be quite interesting,” Jason LaCanfora of SportsBoom wrote Monday, April 27. “They are still a rebuilding team that’s going to be drafting high next year, so they will be in position to land a quarterback, and the only time to look at Beck, even if only to showcase him for trade, would be 2026.”
Given Arizona’s uniquely uncertain status at the position, LaCanfora quoted one rival general manager who predicted Arizona will trade Brissett before the year is out.
“They’ll move Brissett by the deadline,” the GM told LaCanfora. “Watch.”
Browns Could Justify Adding Jacoby Brissett for Several Reasons
GettyCleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken.
Brissett joined the Browns in 2022, the same year as Watson, and started the first 11 games of the season. The league suspended Watson for that stretch due to off-field issues involving what ended up as more than two dozen allegations of sexual misconduct.
All told, Brissett completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,608 yards, 12 TDs and six INTs, posting a 4-7 record across 16 appearances. He has started 65 games (20-45) over the course of his 10-year career and made cameos in 101 regular-season contests.
Brissett’s trade cost should be a mid-Day 3 pick in 2027 and include a $7.44 million cap hit next season with a post-June 1 designation. The real intrigue involves why Cleveland would add another quarterback.
The franchise probably won’t if the position group remains healthy, and Sanders and/or Watson is working out well enough to keep Cleveland competitive.
A more likely scenario for a mid-season deal is either both QBs are failing and new head coach Todd Monken aggressively seeks a third option, or that the Browns are playing reasonably well under a signal-caller who gets hurt and desire an experienced veteran for a playoff push.
The latter isn’t overwhelmingly likely, though it’s more reasonable after Dane Brugler of the Athletic dubbed Cleveland’s the best draft class of 2026, while most other analysts heaped praise on Berry and company for the work they did over last weekend.
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