Proposed Blockbuster Trade Lands Browns Top QB-WR Combo

Getty Images Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers.

The Cleveland Browns will be exploring all their options to improve the offense this offseason, and a blockbuster trade for the superstar duo of the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams could be worth a treasure trove of assets.

The out-of-the-box, go-for-broke trade idea was pitched March 4 by ESPN’s Football Outsiders as a way for the Browns to shake things up and “rid themselves of Baker Mayfield.” Here’s what was said about the proposed deal:

Rodgers is increasingly a lost soul searching for meaning to his football life. Bringing a championship to the long-suffering fans in Browns Town would (maybe) be enough of a goal to satisfy his yearnings. Meanwhile, Adams is likely headed for the franchise tag in Green Bay, but a sign-and-trade is equally likely, and the two players seem joined at the hip.

What would it take to get the twin superstars to Lake Erie? Mayfield, obviously, plus let’s say five draft picks, including at least two first-rounders. A young replacement wideout like Donovan Peoples-Jones or Anthony Schwartz. And any defensive player Cleveland has outside of Garrett, Ward and the two rookies who flashed in 2021, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Greg Newsome II.

Highly unrealistic? Probably, but never say never when it comes to general manager Andrew Berry, who has been clear that he’ll explore every option to improve the roster.

“We really go into each offseason with the thought process of as if we had an expansion team,” Berry said March 1 at the NFL combine. “We really look at every possibility and every player opportunity and try and match it to our resources and cost and really try to be as opportunistic as possible to upgrade the entire talent base.”

Browns Expected to Run It Back With Mayfield

Though there’s been much speculation about Mayfield’s future in Cleveland, it appears the team is ready to run it back with a healthy version of the quarterback, Mary Kay Cabot wrote in a story published March 3 on Cleveland.com. Mayfield’s reps met with the Browns at the combine, according to Cabot, and the hope is that he can recover from an injury-riddled year to prove he’s the best long-term option for the franchise.

“The two sides also agreed that he’ll head into the final season of his contract — the fifth-year option year at $18.86 million — without an extension but with a chance to prove he’s the long-term answer,” Cabot wrote.

That being said, Cabot wrote, the Browns will “explore all of their options” to upgrade at quarterback given that multiple situations with veteran quarterbacks – including Rodgers in Green Bay, Russell Wilson in Seattle, Deshaun Watson in Houston and Matt Ryan in Atlanta – still have to unfold.

Mayfield Expected to be Ready for Season After Surgery

Mayfield underwent surgery January 19 to repair a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. The Browns released a statement that day saying Mayfield would begin light throwing in April, adding that he should be able to participate in the offseason program on a limited basis. He is expected to be ready for the start of training camp in July.

Mayfield’s desire to prove his haters wrong has been a motivator throughout his career.

“I checked that box off to get this fixed and now it’s on the way to the road to recovery,” Mayfield tweeted on January 19. “This is one of those steps to get back to my true self. This past year hasn’t been very easy.”