Jerry Jeudy would welcome Brandon Aiyuk to the Cleveland Browns with open arms if the team decided to make a deal for the disgruntled San Francisco 49ers star.
Aiyuk recently requested a trade and is seeking a new deal from the 49ers. Aiyuk has reported for camp but has not been practicing. The former Arizona State standout is coming off a season in which he caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards and 7 touchdowns. Aiyuk was a first-round pick in 2020 and will make $14.124 million next season with the 49ers on his fifth-year option.
Rumors have swirled around Aiyuk’s future and the Browns have been rumored to be prominent in trade talks. If it came to fruition, Jeudy would be happy to have Aiyuk in the wide receiver room.
“Aiyuk is a great player,” Jeudy said on Sunday, August 4. “Bring him to the team, we gonna make the team better and help us win more games. That’s the goal to win more games.”
The Browns have not been shy about bolstering their wide receiver corps via trade. This offseason, Cleveland landed Jeudy in a trade with the Denver Broncos. The Browns sent fifth—and sixth-round picks to Denver for Jeudy, who was the No. 15 overall pick out of Alabama in 2020.
Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore were also acquired via trade — Cooper in 2022 and Moore last offseason.
Aiyuk Trade Would Likely Cost Browns Amari Cooper
Getty ImagesThe Browns could still reach an extension with Amari Cooper.
The idea of adding a talented receiver like Aiyuk is a no-brainer. However, Cleveland has to carefully consider the cost of a deal, which would likely include Cooper.
Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com addressed the Aiyuk rumor in her latest Q&A column. She said the Browns would have to make an offer the 49ers couldn’t refuse.
“If the Browns hope to land him, they’d have to make the 49ers an offer they couldn’t refuse, which might have to include Amari Cooper or possibly the Browns’ first-round pick in 2025,” Cabot said on August 4. “I wrote back on July 16 when he first asked to be traded that the Browns should and probably would at least inquire.”
The 49ers are fresh off a Super Bowl appearance and don’t want to lose Aiyuk. However, negotiations have not “intensified” despite trade rumors heating up.
“The situation has gotten really sticky,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote Saturday, August 3. “The receiver market ballooning into the $30 million neighborhood has complicated talks. The 49ers have not shown a willingness to pay Aiyuk what he thinks he’s worth, and negotiations hadn’t intensified lately, last I had checked.”
Browns WR Amari Cooper ‘Content’ With New Deal
Getty ImagesBrowns wide receiver Amari Cooper would like to remain in Cleveland.
Cooper staged a brief holdout this offseason as he looked for a new deal. He skipped mandatory minicamp but reported to training camp after agreeing to a restructured contract.
Cooper’s $20 million contract for this season was guaranteed, and the Browns added $5 million in incentives. However, he’ll be a free agent next offseason.
“I’m content for sure. Obviously I wanted more guarantees in the contract, just because I feel like I’ve earned it,” Cooper said on Thursday, July 25. “But you know, you can always get what you wish for all the time. It’s definitely noted. If I have to go earn it, that’s what I’ll do.”
Cooper, 30, is coming off one of the best years of his career. He caught 72 passes for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns. He caught 78 passes for 1,160 the year prior and added nine touchdowns.
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Browns WR Jerry Jeudy Responds to Brandon Aiyuk Trade Rumors