The Cleveland Browns enter the final few days before the NFL draft with many of the same roster holes that were there when they ended the 2025 season. They added three veteran offensive linemen, but have still left themselves with an apparent hole at left tackle, the most important spot along the offensive front. They’ve done virtually nothing to address what is arguably the worst wide-receiver group in the NFL. And they’re proceeding as usual without a significant upgrade at quarterback.
But hey, that does not mean the team could not come up with a massive curveball in the coming days, or weeks. There has been speculation that the Browns could make a free-agent pitch for 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings, but on Tuesday, ESPN NFL insider and jack-of-all-trades Peter Schrager threw out what would be a shocking possibility that could go a long way toward healing the Browns’ receiver situation quickly: a trade for disgruntled Eagles star AJ Brown.
Yes, that AJ Brown.
Surprise AJ Brown Trade Suitor?
Start by saying that an AJ Brown trade would be a long shot, no doubt, for a number of reasons. We’ll get to that. But make no mistake, he is a star, with 1,000-yard seasons in six of his first seven years in the NFL. He’s had issues, though, with quarterback Jalen Hurts and coach Nick Sirianni, which have led to what appears to be an impending trade out of Philadelphia.
Speaking on the ESPN morning show “Get Up,” Schrager said, “There’s always a mystery team, no one knew that. Could the Browns be involved in an AJ Brown trade? You might say, ‘Well, that wouldn’t be fair to AJ Brown.’ Sorry, that’s just what it is. They have a gaping hole at wide receiver, are they the team?”
Holding Onto 2027 Picks?
From Cleveland’s perspective, the top reason for skepticism about adding AJ Brown would be that the Eagles will wait until after June 1 to trade Brown, which means any picks sent to Philadelphia would be 2027 picks.
With the Browns leaning on a plan to at least be in position to draft a top quarterback in 2027, it is hard to imagine they’d be willing to cough up draft capital to the Eagles.
That’s just one headwind against such a deal. Would the Browns risk building their receiver room around a player who has been problematic in terms of behavior? Would Brown have any desire to play in Cleveland, where there is a very dubious quarterback situation and not much of a plan beyond this year? Is the rest of this Browns roster ready to absorb a star receiver?
GettyBrowns GM Andrew Berry
AJ Brown Remains Heavily Ties to Potential Patriots Trade
As a point in favor of a potential Browns trade for Brown, maybe the team is not as sold on putting its chips onto the table for the 2027 draft as many assume it is. GM Andrew Berry did point out this week that the 2026 quarterback class was supposed to be stocked with prospects, but fizzled.
The bigger issue might be, too, that the Eagles have already worked out a deal with the Patriots, which is the prevailing wisdom around the NFL.
As Adam Schefter of ESPN wrote on Monday, “All the elements remain in place to make it happen, and Brown to the Patriots is still the likely outcome … just not during this week’s draft, per sources. Put the trade on hold for now, but things will soon quickly warm back up. The Eagles remain open to trading Brown, the Patriots remain highly interested in acquiring the star receiver, and conversations are expected to resume on or before June 1, probably culminating in a deal, per league sources.”
Browns Floated as ‘Mystery’ Trade Suitor for Disgruntled Star Receiver