If the Cleveland Browns really want wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, they can get him. They’ll have to commit major future resources to Aiyuk and his current employer, the San Francisco 49ers, but Cleveland can fit Aiyuk into its evolving offense and swelling payroll.
Both the precise asking price and the number of teams who are likely to bid on Aiyuk’s services are yet unknown. However, the Browns are well-funded, have a new corporate continuity focused on taking large risks, and are eager to accumulate as much talent as they can in order to be prepared for challenging games in an AFC that appears to be loaded.
The Browns are no strangers to doing this either. If they are attempting to acquire Aiyuk, their efforts resemble their 2022 efforts to acquire QB Deshaun Watson.
No, the players’ circumstances are not the same. Indeed, the addition of Aiyuk would undoubtedly be motivated by the desire to see Watson regain his Houston form and to help the Browns build an offensive line that is potent enough to challenge the best in the AFC. However, this is more about a team that is not scared to make large (and costly) transactions seeing a unique chance to add a player who, in most cases, would not be available.
Although it has not yet worked with Watson, it is necessary if the Browns’ reasonably stacked roster is to even approach playing to its full potential. The front staff of the Browns must also proceed with the supposition that Watson will perform well in all they undertake at this time. There is not an alternative.
Brandon Aiyuk is getting traded? Yes, Browns general manager Andrew Berry is making that call every day.
The Browns concluded before the 2022 campaign that they had seen Baker Mayfield’s ceiling and either did not like him or did not think they had many other realistic choices at the most important position in the game. Watson was at that intersection, and in March 2022, following a Texas grand jury’s decision not to indict Watson on allegations of sexual misconduct, the Texans began to consider trade offers for the quarterback.
In the days that followed, the Browns made efforts to contact Watson; following a formal meeting, his representatives informed the team that Watson would be choosing a different location. Watson received the richest guaranteed contract in NFL history the following day and committed to Cleveland. Whether you think the Browns are unhappy that their pursuit of Aiyuk has become public or that it is just a step in the process, they would not be involved if they thought they could acquire a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver in an other way.
These Browns are aggressive. They make large purchases. With talent at premium positions, a pass rusher of the rarest kind in Myles Garrett, and nearly universal NFL experience, they have assembled a roster. The Browns have given up three years’ worth of picks and six total picks to acquire Watson, so they are not intending to draft high enough anytime soon to acquire a true blue-chip player. However, their current strategy is apparent: they are about now.
Making it fit
The 26-year-old Aiyuk is seeking a deal that will pay him almost $30 million a season and put him close to the top of the wide receiver class. In recent months, players of a similar age and production level have started with an average annual salary of almost $30 million, plus more in upfront guarantees. With big-money contracts in the NFL, it is generally accepted that the following one will be bigger than the last. Last season, Aiyuk recorded a career-high 1,342 receiving yards.
In what way may the Browns implement an Aiyuk contract? That is a challenging question for which there is yet no satisfactory response. However, the best course of action would begin with the Browns continuing to pay large salaries on the contracts of established players in order to reduce current cap figures and extend salary-cap hits. This Browns management was exploiting vacant years at the end of deals to stretch out cap hits even before the Watson contract. Considering the recent extraordinary increase in the cap and the likelihood of further increases, the Browns often see dead money as a tool rather than a burden.
You can do it if you invest a lot of money. The Browns do spend a lot, too. The Browns have invested a league-high $345 million in their current 2024 roster, according to Spotrac’s cash-spending tracker. They spent a league-high $292.6 million on apparel last year. The Browns spent $278 million in cash in 2022, which placed them third.
If they bring in Aiyuk, they will eventually have to part with certain players’ salaries and let go of others to whom they are now committed. Aiyuk might sign a new contract with the Browns, which would expedite some of those cutbacks that look imminent anyhow. However, Cleveland has about $30 million in salary space available for 2024. That cap space will eventually be carried over to subsequent seasons by the Browns. But for the time being, they are fine and at least somewhat adaptable.
If they truly want Aiyuk, they will give in to his demands, give up the majority of what the 49ers want, and prioritize their concerns for the future. The Browns believe they are capable of winning big right now and want to take advantage of the opportunity, just as they did when the Watson trade was done.
Names to know
Aiyuk is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is “holding in” from 49ers practice until he is traded or lands a new deal from the team that drafted him in the first round in 2020. San Francisco has reportedly given Aiyuk permission to negotiate potential contracts with interested teams, indicating he could basically pick his landing spot among the teams with which the 49ers have the framework of a trade done.
The teams with the trade specifics in place are the New England Patriots and the Browns, according to an NBC Sports Bay Area report from Monday night. The 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers have resumed talks on a trade for the fifth-year wide receiver, according to an ESPN report on Tuesday.
The Patriots are expected to have over $100 million in cap space in 2025, and they have a significantly higher probability than the Browns of selecting in the top 10 of the draft the following spring. While it is unlikely that the Patriots will part with a 2025 first-round selection, it might be wise to start looking for a possible early second-round selection.
Although it is unclear whether they would, the Browns could make a trade offer to wide receiver Amari Cooper. Cooper’s contract was renegotiated by the Browns last month with reachable incentives and upfront pay, but no more years were added. Cooper, 30, has a contract that expires in 2024. If the Browns sold Cooper, they would inherit about $29 million in dead money, which they could divide across several seasons because dead money is never a problem for the organization. Aiyuk’s contract as well as the contracts of any other players involved in the transfer would likely need to be amended in any realistic scenario.
Elijah Moore, a wide receiver, may or may not play for the Cleveland Browns full time this season. He is also in the last year of his contract, having been acquired by the Browns 16 months earlier in exchange for a second-round pick. The Browns have paid a heavy price for failing to choose wide receivers in the draft. They are obviously eager to keep paying for Aiyuk if they truly want him to help their offense.
Usually, it is all about the money, and if the 49ers have determined that dealing Aiyuk is their best course of action, then that will be the case here as well. We might see whether the Patriots and other clubs are willing to go higher since, as previously mentioned, the Browns do not want to lose bidding wars. It seems like we will shortly hear back. As of right now, all we know is that when the Browns spot a unique chance, they do not hesitate to get involved.
(Top photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
