49ers Star Warned to Steer Clear of Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns can expect to add one, if not two, wide receivers next season, but the franchise’s current situation under center may make such an effort difficult.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kaye ranked Cleveland as the worst destination for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Ayuk on Nov. 20 and listed Kaye as one of the top trade targets for the upcoming offseason. The Cleveland Brown Squadron bag is an absolute disaster. Trading Deshaun Watson and giving him a record full guarantee contract is one of the biggest mistakes in league history. Cleveland certainly won’t be able to send top-tier quarterback prospects in 2024, and problems could arise over the next few years. This is a situation that AYUK should avoid, and Cleveland should not consider giving up the necessary capital to take him on. Containing Amari Cooper will be difficult for the Browns.
Watson’s contract is an albatross around the Browns’ collective neck. Cleveland’s $230 million lock not only makes it difficult to add another quarterback to replace him, it also complicates the final season of wide receiver Amari Cooper’s 2024 contract. The Browns owe Cooper $20 million in salary next year, and his cap hit is much higher at $23.8 million. Cleveland could save $12.5 million by cutting or trading Cooper before June 1 and $20 million by moving him Over The Cap after that date. Cooper is headed for another solid year after earning a Pro Bowl nomination in 2022, especially with Jacoby Brissett under center. In 10 games this season, he has 45 catches for 749 yards and two touchdowns. Despite those stats, the Browns may not be missing out on a golden opportunity to shed salary by signing Cooper a year early. There should be a decent trade market for the 29-year-old former first-round pick, and the blow of losing Cooper would be softened if Cleveland could return a mid-round pick instead. Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper is disappointed
With his $100 million contract expiring, Cooper’s contract situation gives the Browns less wiggle room than a new rookie deal. If Cleveland part ways with Cooper, the team will need to add a legitimate No. 1 target to its receiving corps to instill some fear in the offense in 2024. The Browns traded Detroit Pas-Jones to the Detroit Lions at the deadline for a sixth-round pick in 2025. Elias Moore is still averaging 40 points in the NFL, but is on pace for his best season in three years. In 10 games, he recorded 374 yards and one touchdown. Veteran Marquis Goodwin is on a one-year deal and has struggled to stay healthy or produce significant production all season. David Bell and Cedric Tillman, who were third-round picks in each of the last two drafts, failed to make an impact in 2023.
