Browns Digest

Surprise Browns And 49ers Trade Rumored Involving Two Star Receivers

Rumors have been circulating on Monday about Amari Cooper's contract extension with Cleveland and Brandon Aiyuk's future with San Francisco. One source believes a trade could happen involving these two.

Cole McDaniel

Oct 15, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) runs the ball as San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (2) pulls him down from behind during the fourth quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) runs the ball as San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (2) pulls him down from behind during the fourth quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports / Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
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Two receivers have been in NFL headlines recently as everyone awaits official decisions on their futures with their respect teams. That noise has picked up even more on Monday as the Cleveland Browns and Amari Cooper have still not come to an agreement on an extension and Brandon Aiyuk posted a cryptic video on TikTok.

Cooper recently held out of mandatory minicamp with the Browns as he searches for an extension. June 17th is Amari Cooper's birthday and the team wished him a happy birthday on social media on Monday morning.

Cooper's birthday is not what has his name trending in NFL circles. Instead, rumored issues in agreeing on the length and security of a contract extension has taken center stage.

According to Brad Stainbrook of the Orange and Brown Report on 247 Sports, contract negotiations remain ongoing between the Cleveland Browns and Cooper's camp. As other big name wide receivers hit massive paydays recently, including Justin Jefferson, Jaylen Waddle, Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown and Nico Collins, it was easy to wonder if money would become an issue in negotiations with Cooper. Rather than money, the potential issue might actually be the length of the extension.

Football player grabs his jersey and shoulder pads around his collar.
Dec 24, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Stainbrook went on to add that his source stated that Cooper is looking for at least two years guaranteed. The Browns are reluctant in doing so and have stuck to the offer of a one-year extension.

For a few months now, there has been serious speculation that the San Francisco 49ers do not intend to proceed with both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel Sr. at wide receiver. When the 49ers drafted Ricky Pearsall with pick 31 overall in this year's draft, those rumors picked up even more.

On Monday, Aiyuk posted a video of him speaking with former college teammate Jayden Daniels on FaceTime. In the video, Aiyuk tells Daniels, "They say they don't want me back." Whether that refers to the 49ers or something else, it is hard to tell based on the 27-second video. The general assumption appears to be that the 49ers plan to proceed with Samuel and Pearsall, while looking to deal Aiyuk.

The Washington Commanders could certainly be a landing spot for Aiyuk if this is all true. Not only did the rookie quarterback in Daniels and Aiyuk play together at Arizona State, but the two have seemingly stayed very close friends. Pairing Aiyuk with Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson could be advantageous for their offensive success and Washington has the future picks to make this happen.

An interesting rumor was posted on X by NFL Notifications later in the day. The account that currently has 45.4 thousand followers posted that they have been hearing the Browns mentioned in what would be a shocking trade with the 49ers. Reportedly, Amari Cooper would be sent to San Francisco and Brandon Aiyuk would come to Cleveland.

The difficult thing about this rumor is that there is no identifiable source to where these rumblings have actually started. This could be just speculation or this could have even been discussed in a more serious capacity. We just don't know at this time.

That being said, this is intriguing from a Browns perspective because the wide receiver room would get younger with Aiyuk only being 26-years-old. Cleveland would not need to worry about extending an aging star receiver.

If this were to happen, it would be interesting to see whether Aiyuk or Jerry Jeudy would emerge as WR1 in Cleveland.

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Cole McDaniel
COLE MCDANIEL

Cole McDaniel is a contributor to both Browns Digest and Cavs Insider. He is the Vice President of Operations for Kee on Sports, most notably serving as lead NFL Draft analyst and the play-by-play voice for high school football. He can also be heard on numerous Baldwin Wallace University athletics broadcasts and has served as Cleveland SC's color commentator since 2019. Cole is a 2019 graduate of Baldwin Wallace where he also played soccer. 

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