Getty Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers wide receiver
The Cleveland Browns are liable to try and add a top-flight wide receiver next offseason, if not two, though the franchise’s current circumstances under center could complicate that initiative.
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report on November 20 dubbed Cleveland the worst possible destination for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who Kay named as a top trade target of the impending offseason.
The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback situation is a downright disaster. Trading for Deshaun Watson and giving him a record-setting, fully-guaranteed contract is already shaping up to be one of the biggest blunders in league history.
Cleveland almost certainly won’t be able to draft a high-end quarterback prospect in 2024 and [is] likely have issues at the position for several more years. It’s a situation Aiyuk should hope to stay well clear of, while Cleveland shouldn’t even consider giving up the capital it would take to acquire him anyway.
Keeping Amari Cooper Will Prove Difficult for Browns
GettyWide receiver Amari Cooper of the Cleveland Browns.
Watson’s contract is an albatross around the Browns’ collective neck in more ways than one. The $230 million Cleveland has locked up in its quarterback doesn’t just make it difficult to add another one to replace him, it will complicate the final season of wide receiver Amari Cooper’s contract in 2024.
The Browns owe Cooper $20 million in salary next year, and his cap number is even higher at $23.8 million. Cleveland can save $12.5 million by cutting or trading Cooper ahead of June 1 and $20 million by making either move after that date, per Over The Cap.
Cooper is having another solid year after posting near-Pro Bowl numbers in 2022, mostly with Jacoby Brissett under center. The wideout has made 45 catches for 749 yards and 2 touchdowns in 10 games played this season.
Despite those stats, the Browns may not be able to pass up their best chance to cut salary by moving on from Cooper one year early. There should be a decent trade market for the 29-year-old and former first-round pick, and if Cleveland can get a mid-round selection back in return that would soften the blow of Cooper’s loss.
Browns’ Wide Receivers Have Disappointed Behind Amari Cooper
GettyWide receiver Elijah Moore of the Cleveland Browns.
Playing on the end of his $100 million deal, Cooper’s contractual situation offers the Browns less wiggle room than a fresher contract for a new player might. If Cleveland does part with Cooper, the team will need to add a legitimate No. 1 target to the receiver room if it hopes to inspire any fear with its pass attack in 2024.
The Browns traded Donovan Peoples-Jones to the Detroit Lions at this year’s deadline for a 2025 sixth-round pick. Elijah Moore is on track for the best season of his three-year career, though he has still been middling by NFL standards with 40 catches for 374 yards and 1 touchdown in 10 games.
Veteran Marquise Goodwin is on a one-year deal and has struggled to stay healthy or produce meaningfully all season. David Bell and Cedric Tillman, third-round picks in the last two drafts respectively, have also failed to make an impact in 2023.
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