Browns Send Beloved Starter Packing in Blockbuster Projected Trade

The 2024 NFL season hasn't gone the way that the Cleveland Browns envisioned, to say the least. A Week 4 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders saw the Browns' record drop to 1-3 through four games, putting them on the hot seat ahead of Sunday's road matching with the red-hot Washington Commanders.

If the Browns don't turn things around quickly, there's a decent chance they could be a selling team before next month's NFL trade deadline. Cleveland has several pieces that could garner attention from Super Bowl contenders, opening the door to a certain potential blockbuster before Nov. 5.

Browns Predicted to Trade Amari Cooper to Chiefs

On Monday, FanDuel Sportsbook's official X (formerly Twitter) page posted a mock trade that would send Browns No. 1 wideout Amari Cooper to the Kansas City Chiefs. In the deal, Cooper and a 2026 seventh-round selection would be sent to Kansas City in exchange for third- and fifth-round picks.

Regardless of how you feel about the specifics of the mock trade, it's easy to see how the deal would make sense for both sides.

The Chiefs desperately need a difference-making wideout after losing Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown for the rest of the 2024 season. Outside of rookie WR Xavier Worthy and declining tight end Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes doesn't exactly have many reliable wideouts to count upon.

That's where Cooper comes in.

The five-time Pro Bowl pass-catcher excelled since joining the Browns, amassing 166 catches for 2,558 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in 36 games over the last three seasons. He's also off to a 16-148-2 stat line through four games this year and it isn't hard to imagine those numbers skyrocketing if he establishes chemistry with Mahomes.

As for the Browns, the time to move Cooper is now if they don't view him as being a part of their long-term plans.

The 30-year-old veteran will become a free agent at the end of the 2024 campaign and if he plans on leaving come March, it makes a ton of sense to try and recoup as many assets as possible for him. Getting a pair of draft picks, even if they aren't first/second-rounders, is a solid return in this case.

This year's trade deadline is still over a month away, so a lot can change before then. Perhaps Cooper will decide that he wants to continue his career in Cleveland or, maybe, another serious suitor will emerge with a more attractive offer than what the hypothetical trade entails.

Either way, it'll be interesting to see how the Cooper saga unfolds in the coming weeks.

For now, the Browns must focus on Sunday's meeting with the Commanders — a game where they're currently listed as the 3-point award underdogs, per FanDuel.

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