Who Should I Start? Joe Flacco or Kirk Cousins

Sunday, January 5, 9:11 PM

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco completed 23 of his 40 pass attempts for 264 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in overtime. His touchdown pass was a 40-yard completion to Alec Pierce in the first quarter. The 39-year-old was one of the more productive and most utilized backup quarterbacks in the NFL this season, racking up 1,761 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 11 turnovers through eight games. Flacco's future beyond the 2024 campaign remains undecided, but if he does choose to return for another year, he'll be an intriguing backup option in free agency. He could return to the Colts as the No. 2 option behind Anthony Richardson, but he'd likely generate interest from several other teams, too.

Monday, February 10, 6:32 PM

The Athletic's Zac Jackson writes that the Cleveland Browns might only be able to afford players like the Atlanta Falcons' Kirk Cousins or Minnesota Vikings' Daniel Jones as their bridge quarterback this offseason. According to Over the Cap, Cleveland is projected to be $38.6 million over the 2025 salary cap, but the next anticipated restructure of QB Deshaun Watson's contract will clear up around $36 million in cap space. The status of QBs Derek Carr, Geno Smith and Russell Wilson will dictate how expensive Cousins and Jones will be this offseason. Cousins isn't a free agent, but the Atlanta Falcons probably will find it hard to trade him because of the $10 million roster bonus he's due after the start of the new league year. Cousins has familiarity with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski from their days with the Vikings. The Browns are expected to draft a QB at No. 2 overall this year, but Cousins could make sense as a bridge starter if he becomes a free agent.