While fans and pundits have been focused on the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes and whether the Pittsburgh Steelers or New York Giants will turn to Russell Wilson as their plan B at quarterback, there's one franchise that's getting lost in the mix.
The Cleveland Browns are also in need of a reliable signal caller given Deshaun Watson is still recovering from a ruptured Achilles suffered last season. (And even when Watson was healthy, he hardly seemed like the answer.)
General manager Andrew Berry made a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles for QB Kenny Pickett in exchange for QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round pick on March 12. At that point it appeared clear that Pickett would be the guy if Watson couldn't start the 2025 season, but Berry may not be stopping there when it comes to adding passers — for better or worse.
Browns have reported 'mutual interest' in QB Carson Wentz
According to Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns and free agent QB Carson Wentz reportedly have "mutual interest" in a deal. However, that comes with a major caveat.
Cleveland is waiting to see how the waiting game with Rodgers goes for Pittsburgh and New York, because that will have an effect on where Wilson wants to sign. Berry reportedly is trying to court him away from both teams but until the first domino falls, everyone is basically in a holding pattern.
If Wilson ends up with a different team, Cleveland appears to be ready to pursue Wentz to presumably compete with Pickett in training camp. The 32-year-old spent the 2024 season backing up Patrick Mahomes for the Kansas City Chiefs.
If Berry winds up missing out on Wilson and chooses to bring in Wentz, that would leave Joe Flacco and Jameis Winston without a home (for the time being), both veterans who played for Cleveland within the last two years.
The Browns own the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft as well. They could still try to move up for Miami's Cam Ward, expected to be picked first overall by the Tennessee Titans. But the likeliest scenario is still them staying put to select either Penn State DE Abdul Carter or Colorado DB/WR Travis Hunter. However, don't rule out Berry reaching for Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders either.
But at the end of the day, the depth chart could potentially look like: Watson (injured), Pickett (QB2) and Wentz (QB3) to start the year. That's certainly ... a choice, but when you're scraping the barrel, there's not much else you can do.