Latest Brandon Aiyuk Trade Update is Great News for Browns

With Amari Cooper on the final year of his contract, Cleveland Browns fans are already getting excited about their next potential superstar wide receiver.

The Browns are on the shortlist of legitimate options for an Aiyuk trade with the San Francisco 49ers, and that list got even shorter on Tuesday night.

The New England Patriots are now out of the Aiyuk sweepstakes. The 49ers are letting Aiyuk have a say in where he goes, negotiating new contracts with the potential teams, and Aiyuk completely shot down the Pats.

This is good news for Cleveland for two reasons: First is that there's one fewer contender. A trade will now happen with either the Browns or the Pittsburgh Steelers. Second is that money is clearly not his top priority. With wide receiver contracts getting absolutely massive these days, getting him for less than $30 million per year would actually be a bit of a bargain.

And with a certain underperforming Browns quarterback carrying a cap hit north of $60 million for the next three seasons, Cleveland needs to save every penny they can when it comes to adding more talent to the offense.

A first-round pick in 2020, Aiyuk has made strides in each of his four NFL seasons, culminating in a truly elite campaign in San Fran last year. Despite facing major competition for touches in the offense, Aiyuk's elite efficiency (17.9 yards per reception, 12.8 yards per target) carried him to 1,342 yards and 7 touchdowns on just 105 targets.

Not only would he be an upgrade over Amari Cooper (who would likely be included in any Aiyuk trade package) for the 2024 season, but the new contract would keep him in Cleveland as the face of the offense for the foreseeable future.

It's still far from a done deal, and the Browns could certainly still lose out on Aiyuk to the Steelers, but this latest update is another big step toward landing him in Cleveland.

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