Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Geno Smith

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.

Sunday, February 9, 4:56 PM

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Seattle Seahawks are expected to bring back quarterback Geno Smith for the 2025 season. The team reportedly "believes in him." The 34-year-old will be entering the final year of his three-year contract. Last season, Smith threw for a career-high 4,320 yards with 21 passing scores and 15 interceptions. He averaged 254.1 passing yards per game and added two scores with his legs. This was a strong increase compared to the 3,624 passing yards and the 20:9 TD:INT ratio he posted across 15 games during the 2023 campaign. Despite just missing the playoffs, the team and the coaching staff still view Smith as the best option to lead their franchise. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status in the offseason. If he returns to Seattle, he should be viewed as a solid QB2 in Superflex formats.