Insider suggest Browns Inquired About Brandon Aiyuk as the deal was set to be completed
This week, San Francisco 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk informed his team he wanted a trade, requesting to be sent to a new franchise this season in hopes of securing a lucrative contract extension.
Could the Cleveland Browns be a suitable partner for this deal?
One insider believes the AFC North franchise will discuss the opportunity to acquire Aiyuk in a trade with San Francisco.
The Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot suggested in a recent article that the Browns may have already done their due diligence about the talented 26-year-old receiver.
“With 49ers leading receiver Brandon Aiyuk formally requesting a trade on Tuesday, the Browns should call and inquire about him, and they’ll likely do so if they haven’t already,” Cabot wrote.
The Browns could offer up another wide receiver to acquire Aiyuk, Cabot suggested.
Cleveland star Amari Cooper – who staged a holdout during the team’s OTA mandatory sessions last month – could be on the trading block in exchange for Aiyuk, Cabot proposed.
In Cooper, San Francisco would obtain a 30-year-old player who could be re-signed by the 49ers on a better deal than Aiyuk seeks.
Cabot suggested that Cooper’s contract extension remains the Browns’ top priority – and not a potential trade for Aiyuk – as Cleveland would have to be creative in order to pay either wide receiver their asking price.
Last year, Aiyuk played in 16 regular season games and caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns.
Cooper recorded 72 receptions for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns in 2023.
Seemingly every year, an athlete that few analysts expected to make the 53-man roster breaks through to become a valuable part of their team’s squad.
The Cleveland Browns may have one athlete who would fit that mold this season, according to analyst Noah Weiskopf.
After being left off the roster in 2023 and earning a practice squad spot instead, the analyst believes that tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden fits the mold of making the 53-man roster this summer.
Weiskopf shared videos and a message on Twitter to show how much work the tight end has put in this offseason.
“Mitchell-Paden will be a name to keep an eye on as training camp and the preseason nears,” Weiskopf wor.
In the first video Weiskopf shared, the 257-pound athlete lifted 565 pounds four times, showing off his impressive strength.
The second video shows Mitchell-Paden doing drills to improve his blocking technique, a key skill that will help him both on the offensive side of the football as well as with a potential special teams role for the new kickoff rule.
Although Mitchell-Paden is entering his second year with the Browns, the 6-foot-5 athlete is considered a first-year player.
Currently, Mitchell-Paden is one of four tight ends on the roster, joining veterans David Njoku and Jordan Akins as well as rookie undrafted free agent Treyton Welch.
Mitchell-Paden and the rest of his teammates will report to the Browns’ headquarters next week in Berea before heading to The Greenbrier for the start of Cleveland’s training camp activities.