Browns Reportedly One Step Away From Brandon Aiyuk Trade

The Cleveland Browns already had an eventful offseason with the uncertainty surrounding Amari Cooper's contract situation and injuries to key starters. Things had finally begun to calm down as they reworked Cooper's deal, brought in Jerry Jeudy, and received good news on Deshaun Watson and Nick Chubb.

However, the Amari Cooper saga took another wild turn over the last couple of days. It was reported that the Browns were willing to include their star receiver in a potential deal for disgruntled 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk. On Monday night, NBC Sports' Matt Maiocco reported that Cleveland and San Francisco have a deal in place for the blockbuster trade. Whether the deal goes through will depend on whether the Browns can come to terms with Aiyuk.

NFL News: Browns Have Deal in Place For Brandon Aiyuk

This is a fascinating development. It is almost a certainty that Cooper will be a part of this deal. If this goes through, it means that the Browns would rather pay Aiyuk a presumably larger contract than give Cooper a multi-year extension.

On paper, this makes sense considering that Aiyuk is four years younger than Cooper. At the same time, Cooper has been consistently productive ever since he arrived in Cleveland, recording 2,410 yards and 14 touchdowns in 32 games. He obviously has a chance of decline as he enters his 30s but giving up additional draft capital in addition to Cooper for a relatively minor upgrade in the short term is a big risk by GM Andrew Berry.

The Browns can presumably be outbid by the Patriots in potential contract negotiations with Aiyuk. New England has cleaner books going forward but the Browns offer a chance of contention that the Patriots can't come near. Which team Aiyuk prefers will tell us a lot about his priorities for the rest of his career.

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