Cleveland Browns 1 of 8 teams with enough cap space for Julio Jones

The Cleveland Browns are just one of eight teams with enough cap space to trade for Julio Jones.

The other teams that could deal for Jones without having to move money around include the Jaguars, Jets, Broncos, Bengals, Lions, Chargers and 49ers, as noted by Albert Breer, of The MMQB.

While fun to think about, the idea of the Browns trading for Jones is a long shot. Cleveland already has approximately $30 million tied up in two veteran receivers. Jones, who has more miles on his legs, would earn around $15 million for the 2021 season.

In 2022, he would be due $17 million, but only $2 million of that sum is guaranteed. The question becomes, how much–and we’re talking draft picks here–are you willing to give for Jones because it’s hard to imagine him playing two years in Cleveland if a deal was consummated.

Jones only played in nine games last season because of injury, but he was still productive, catching 51 balls for 771 yards and three scores. His average of 15.1 yards per catch was just a tick under his career average (15.2). His 85.7 yards per game figure was the lowest since his first two years in the league, when he averaged 73.8 and 73.9 yards, respectively.

Cleveland Browns making deals with coaches

One talk radio station played it off like they didn’t want to make a big deal of the Browns not going through OTAs, while the defending AFC champs practiced, but in even talking about, the home-town flagship of the four-letter network made it a thing.

Browns players boycotted OTAs in solidarity with union president and Cleveland center J.C. Tretter. Basically, the players are arguing all of these practices aren’t needed. It’s all centered around player safety. Players argue they didn’t need these extra sessions last year when COVID wiped everything out, so scaling things back should be on the table.

Now, according to Breer, we may see some action in Berea before training camp.

Per The MMQB writer, Browns players were working toward a deal with the coaches.

"“Part of the reason they were O.K. with being absent until now is that quarterback Baker Mayfield had held a passing camp in Austin already,” Breer wrote."

The offseason workout program has become ridiculous. For those of us behind the keyboard, we dedicate many a keystroke when someone doesn’t participate (OBJ in 2019), but the pandemic did shine a light on the point Tretter and union are trying to make.

Tretter, much like Joe Thomas late in his career, can barely practice during the week late in the season. What’s the point of doing it in May? Heck, we just saw the Browns coaching staff coach up a backup and a guy off the street over Zoom to the point where they were more than effective in a playoff win against the Steelers.

I know, the die hards will say practice! But frankly, I don’t need to see the social media team post any more pictures of a padless OBJ in shorts making one-handed catches against the wind.

There’s a middle for the two sides to meet in when the collective bargaining agreement comes due. What exactly that is? We’ll see.