According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Bengals (or any team) have not made any trade calls to the Falcons about QB Kirk Cousins.
Rapoport says Cincinnati specifically plans to ride with backup QB Jake Browning as long as they need to this year. ESPN’s Adam Schefter also reported the team plans to stick with Browning.
Looking ahead to 2026, Rapoport points out Browning, despite entering the league in 2019, is just now slated to be a restricted free agent because he didn’t accrue any years of service his first few years in the NFL.
He notes the Bengals will be able to place either the original round tender, second-round tender or first-round tender on Browning next offseason. This past offseason, those tenders were worth $3.4 million, $5.33 million and $7.5 million respectively.
As for Cousins, it doesn’t seem like the Falcons are relenting on their significant asking price, including asking another team to take on a significant chunk of his salary. Cousins also has a no-trade clause and it seems like the most likely outcome is him finishing out the season in Atlanta.
Browning, 29, signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2019 out of Washington. He was waived coming out of the preseason but re-signed to the practice squad.
Browning signed a futures deal with Minnesota for the 2020 season. He was again waived coming out of camp and spent the year on the practice squad before signing a futures deal for 2021.
Minnesota waived Browning coming out of the preseason in 2022 and he later caught on with the Bengals. He was waived coming out of the preseason and later signed to their practice squad before being promoted to the active roster later in the season.
The Bengals signed Browning to a two-year deal as an exclusive rights free agent after he took over as the starter during QB Joe Burrow‘s injury in 2023. He’s slated to be a restricted free agent in 2026.
In 2023, Browning appeared in nine games for the Bengals and completed 70.4 percent of his pass attempts for 1,936 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He added 27 carries for 127 yards and three more scores.
In 2025, Browning has appeared in one game for the Bengals and completed 21 of 32 pass attempts for 241 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. He added a one-yard rushing touchdown.
Cousins, 36, is a former fourth-round pick of Washington back in 2012. He played out the final year of his rookie contract before being franchised in back-to-back seasons.
Cousins later departed in free agency for a three-year, $84 million contract with the Vikings. He was entering the final year of his contract in 2020 when he agreed to a two-year, $66 million contract extension. In 2021, he agreed to a new one-year, $35 million contract extension that was also fully guaranteed.
He was in the final year of that deal in 2023 and was testing the market as an unrestricted free agent when signing with the Falcons this offseason. He inked a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million guaranteed.
In 2024, Cousins appeared in 14 games for the Falcons and completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.
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