As it stands right now, the Pittsburgh Steelers are becoming the runaway favorites in the AFC North after a wild first month of the season. However, things can change on a dime in the NFL, so Pittsburgh cannot get comfortable with the start.
The Steelers are 3-1 on the season and a full two games ahead of the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns. The Cincinnati Bengals are 2-2 right now, but with Joe Burrow out and Jake Browning in, the Bengals may as well be an 0-4 team if you ask me.
All of a sudden, Pittsburgh is in the driver's seat to win the division and earn a top-4 seed in the playoffs. The Ravens have been the big surprise, as the defense has been downright awful, but the injuries are also piling up big-time. As long as things don't change radically, the Steelers should win the division, but this proposed AFC North trade could not only change everything but also make it much harder for Pittsburgh to win the division.
Proposed trade sends QB Kirk Cousins to the Cincinnati Bengals
Here is Matt Verderame in Sports Illustrated on the proposed trade sending Kirk Cousins to the Cincinnati Bengals:
Proposed trade: QB Kirk Cousins to the Bengals for conditional fifth-round pick
Coach Raheem Morris made it clear that he has no interest in utilizing Cousins at any point this season. He simply responded “no” when asked whether Cousins would be an option to start over the struggling Michael Penix Jr., who had a nice bounce-back performance vs. the Commanders last week.
So it’s time to cut ties with the highly expensive backup quarterback. Might as well get a Day 3 pick for Cousins, who’s already received most of the money on the four-year, $180 million deal he signed in Atlanta last year.
The Bengals started 2-0 for the first time in the Zac Taylor era, but it unfortunately came at a cost for them. Burrow isn't likely to play again this season after his toe injury, and backup QB Jake Browning has simply not played well in his absence.
Still 2-2, Cincy's season is hanging in the balance, and while its offensive line and defensive line are still weak spots, you could make the argument that an upgrade at QB could keep this team afloat for the time being, and that's where Kirk Cousins comes into play. Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons before the 2024 NFL Draft, but the Falcons shocked the world by doubling down on the position and drafting Michael Penix Jr in Round 1.
Well, Cousins declined in real-time in the middle of 2024, so the Falcons now find themselves in an odd situation, as Cousins is getting paid top-tier starter money but is riding the bench. You'd have to think that he'd prefer to head to a team where he can start, and the Bengals might be the perfect squad for that.
Cincy would be taking a huge chance on this hypothetical trade, as Kirk Cousins isn't a mobile QB and looked flat-out awful in 2024, but with Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase at receiver, I get the sense that the veteran Cousins could make it work.