Browns Digest

Speculation Rising Cleveland Browns Could Be Back in On Brandon Aiyuk Trade

Speculation is beginning to rise that the Cleveland Browns could be back in on a Brandon Aiyuk trade.
Evan Massey|
Jan 7, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) celebrates after a play against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium.
Jan 7, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) celebrates after a play against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. | Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

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Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns were heavily involved in trade discussions for San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk not too long ago. In fact, the two teams even had a trade agreed to if Aiyuk would approve it.

At that point in time, Aiyuk did not approve the deal. Now, there is speculation beginning to rise that the Browns could be back in play for Aiyuk.

Following the big move to restrcuture quarterback Deshaun Waton's contract, Cleveland opened up a lot of cap space. Some think that the move could have been made to bring in Aiyuk.

Nick Paulus of ESPN Cleveland was one of the people who floated the idea on X.

Here are a few other tweets from people speculating about the possibility.

Obviously, this is all speculation at this point in time. There is a very good chance that the Browns will not get back involved in trade talks for Aiyuk. However, it is very clear that they were heavily interested in him.

Aiyuk would be a massive addition for the Cleveland offense. He racked up 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

At 26 years old, he would offer the Browns a long-term No. 1 wide receiver.

Back when the trade talks were at their peak, the trade offer that Cleveland gave the 49ers was leaked. They were offering Amari Cooper, a second-round pick, and a fifth-round pick. San Francisco had reportedly agreed to those trade terms, which would likely be the case on the same deal a second time around.

All of that being said, fans can only wait and see what the Browns have planned with their new cap space. It seems that they might be opening things up trying to make some kind of move.

Could they try to get back involved in the Aiyuk trade sweepstakes? It would make a lot of sense.

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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers college football, the NFL and NBA. He has contributed to the On SI network since July 2021. He has also written for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.

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