3 NFL QBs the Browns could've traded for instead of Baker Mayfield

The NFL playoffs are off and running, but they won't include the Cleveland Browns.

Normally, that's nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to the release of the NFL's postseason bracket, but the Browns have instead become one of the league's biggest disappointments after following up a 11-win season that featured a playoff victory (their first in each since 1994) with a 8-9 showing.

A large part of the blame has been thrust upon the shoulders of franchise quarterback Baker Mayfield, whose status as such is in major question after posting career-low numbers in his fourth year under center for Cleveland.

But Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network believe the Browns are planning to commit to at least one more year of the Mayfield show.

The embattled passer did not play in the team's meaningless season finale against Cincinnati on Sunday, opting to get a head start on offseason rehab from shoulder injuries that partially contributed to his 2021 struggles.

While all signs point to Mayfield returning in 2022, it hasn't kept SK from wondering...

Who could the Browns have contacted in relief of Mayfield?

Some believe that Cousins may have played his final game in a Vikings uniform on Sunday (Photo: Getty)

-Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

With the Vikings set to move on from both head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman (the first casualties of Black Monday), they could look to make a move in the franchise quarterback spot, a transition that was hinted upon when they took Kellen Mond in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Thanks to a strong defense, the Browns are set up well enough to where they can afford to take a risk on a pricey acquisition like Cousins.

This is in part to players like Myles Garrett, who helped the team stick around until the final stages of the NFL season.

Adding the guaranteed $35 million risk is more understandable when one considers Cousins' connection to head coach Kevin Stefanski, who was Cousins' offensive coordinator in Minnesota in 2019.

Cousins posted some of the best numbers of his career while Stefanski served in this role, including the first (and, to date, only) playoff victory of his career.

It's hard to evaluate Garoppolo's 49er future (Photo: Getty)

-Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers

Enough can't be said about the Jimmy Garoppolo's Week 18 showing against the Los Angeles Rams. His play helped to thrust the 49ers into a playoff spot, even with an injured thumb.

Having said that, it likely did little to solidify his future, as San Francisco simply has too much invested in first-round draft pick Trey Lance. Garoppolo's clutch showing against the Rams likely made him one of the more intriguing veteran trade targets this offseason.

His contract might've been a bit too large to navigate as Garoppolo is scheduled to be a $27 million cap hit in his the final year of a five-year, $137 million deal inked in 2018.

He could've provided Cleveland with not only veteran leadership but championship experience as a former Super Bowl combatant.

Mayfield and Wilson meet after an October 2019 meeting in Cleveland (Photo: Getty)

-Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

Much was made over Wilson's final few games of the 2021-22 season, with some speculating that he could move on from the Pacific Northwest, which has hosted his quarterback endeavors since 2012.

The Seahawks are set to hit an uncertain future after their first losing season in a decade, one where they don't even have the consolation of a 2022 first-round pick (having traded it to the Jets for Jamal Adams).

Wilson turned 33 in November but has proven serviceable enough to help a team that's the proverbial "quarterback away" from contending.

It's thus somewhat surprising that the Browns, once again armed with that strong defense that allowed them to linger in the modern AFC playoff discussion, didn't at least inquire about his services.