NFL Rumors: Browns & Falcons Becoming Trade Partners

February 07, 2026 ,
Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel reacts during 2025 game.

The Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons are quickly becoming one of the more interesting “what if” trade pairings of the offseason, mostly because the quarterback questions line up a little too neatly. 

With Cleveland bringing in Todd Monken to reshape the offense, and Atlanta now led by Kevin Stefanski, league chatter has started to connect the dots on a possible deal that helps both teams reset their QB depth chart without waiting on the draft.

Browns Could Flip Dillon Gabriel While His Value Still Exists

The Browns took Dillon Gabriel in the third round and he wound up starting as a rookie, but the results were uneven. 

In his six starts, Gabriel went 1-5 while completing 59.5% of his passes for 937 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions, plus 86 rushing yards across 10 appearances. 

With Shedeur Sanders also in the room and Deshaun Watson still on the books, the idea of Cleveland moving Gabriel as Monken evaluates outside options has become a very real strand of speculation.

Falcons QB Uncertainty Opens the Door for a Trade Match

On the Atlanta side, Michael Penix Jr. is the long-term bet, but availability has remained part of the conversation, and the Falcons also have to decide how they want to handle veteran depth behind him. 

Penix’s first run as a starter included nine starts where he completed 60.1% of his throws with nine touchdowns and three interceptions, and Atlanta went 3-6 in those games. 

If anything actually happens, it likely comes down to timing and leverage. Cleveland has reason to explore it because Gabriel probably has more trade appeal now than he will after another offseason where he is not clearly the guy. 

Atlanta has reason to listen because the QB2 spot matters if Penix’s rehab timeline gets messy.

Photo Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

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