A Kyler Murray trade to the Cleveland Browns is unlikely but interesting

Kyler Murray to Cleveland sounds great for Browns fans but it’s a pipe dream.

Well, this was an unexpected trade idea thrown out by CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards. It’s a trade that surrounds Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals and his potential desire to leave the franchise after just three years. There are some who are, for whatever reason, championing the idea. Either they don’t think Arizona is a good fit, despite the team being built around him or because they don’t think he’s worth a massive contract.

I don’t think any quarterback is worth $40 million, mostly because when they start making that much money, the team starts to be less talented than it was before; due to the quarterback being paid as much as he is.

That said, Murray is a great quarterback. He’s shorter than Baker Mayfield, so that’s going to break the brains of people who constantly say you have to be 6’4 to succeed in the NFL and has proven to be more accurate.

There are a lot of similarities here, but Murray is faster and a better runner, which seems to give the nod to him. Mayfield does have better playoff numbers but I always thought that’s a bit of an overrated viewpoint.

All of that takes us back to Edwards, who has flabbergasting trade idea in mind.

From Edwards;

"Kyler Murray scrapped all mention of Arizona from his social media and it hasn’t exactly been a banner year for Baker Mayfield on the field. It could be in the best interest of each to move on with their careers elsewhere. With that being said, Murray’s representatives probably did not like the contract-extension figures that the Cardinals were offering and the social media purge was his way of making a statement. He is probably seeking an extension in the ballpark of Josh Allen and Arizona is not comfortable paying it given his injury history and the way the season ended."

The Cleveland Browns are not trading for Kyler Murray

Even the biggest Baker Mayfield fan in the world would have a hard time turning down a trade for Murray if it only costs Mayfield and a first-round pick. The trade worries me some, as $40 million for any one player is a thing I’d like to avoid, but Murray would give the Browns offense an entirely different dynamic.

It wouldn’t fix the atrocious receiving corp, but it could help it considerably.

Now, I looked and I read and I saw no “trade description” on the mock draft where this trade was posted. Who knows what it would actually contain in real life but I don’t think Edwards, the writer of the article, would be so flippant to think that the Browns could get Murray for just a first and a quarterback swap.

To do so would mean several things. The first is that Mayfield is being undervalued by his hometown fans. The second is that there’s something seriously wrong with Murray and the third, the Cardinals are desperate to get rid of him.

I don’t think the Cardinals are desperate to get rid of Murray, nor do I think the perception of Mayfield is good enough to warrant this trade with only one first-round pick attached.

So that said, the Browns aren’t making this deal. Why? Because there’s no way that Murray only goes for Mayfield and a first. Maybe Mayfield, two (three) firsts, and about six other drafts pick across three seasons. Sure, that makes far more sense.

But for just a first and Murray? That’s too good to be true and if it’s too good to be true, that means it usually is.

If you’re a Cardinals fan, I’d be very upset that this trade was even suggested. To give up Murray for a potential one-year rental in Mayfield (whose deal is up after 2022) and a single first? Did Bill O’Brien suggest this trade or what?