With teams around the NFL shifting gears toward the league's offseason, the sweepstakes for quarterback Kirk Cousins of the Washington Redskins has already seemingly begun. Among the teams competing for his services will be the Cleveland Browns.

There is no other franchise with more assets than the Browns going into the offseason. However, they have little to offer in terms of immediate success on the field. As a result, Cleveland may need to break the bank if they are to have any shot of signing Cousins in free agency, according to ESPN's Bill Barnwell:

Cousins is set to become the league's first $30 million-per-year quarterback. If you're the Browns and you want to give Cousins something to think about, what's stopping you from offering him $40 million per year? You want a quarterback, right? The Browns could hand Cousins a five-year, $200 million deal with a $20 million signing bonus and $30 million roster bonuses in each of the first two seasons of the contract, guaranteeing him a total of $91 million over two years. Cleveland could then offer Cousins an opt-out after Year 2 if things go horrifically south, with Cousins pocketing a $30 million option bonus if he decides to stay. The resulting deal would pay Cousins $144 million over its first three years, which would be a totally unprecedented total.

There is no doubt that Cousins is set to become the highest-paid player in NFL history. However, pulling the trigger on a deal such as this would be a bit of a reach for a player that is not even considered an elite quarterback.

Unfortunately, offering Cousins a monster contract is the only edge they have over other competitors such as the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars, who are projected to legitimately compete for a championship in the 2018 NFL season. Even if the young gunslinger were to accept the deal and help lead the Browns back to relevancy, they would need the money at some point down the line to help sign other key players.

Furthermore, Cleveland has the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, which means they can take any quarterback of their choosing this summer. Regardless, it will be interesting to see which direction the Browns ultimately go in.