Browns fans won’t like latest A.J. Brown trade rumor

This would be terrible news for Cleveland.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ. Brown
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ. Brown | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens have met 54 times, with the Ravens taking 39 of those meetings. These franchises will always be intertwined, and Browns fans have every reason to despise the Ravens to their core.

Todd Monken might help even things up. Few coaches know Lamar Jackson as well as he does, and with John Harbaugh no longer in town, perhaps the Ravens will finally fall flat.

That's, of course, if they don't do any major moves.

The Browns must hope the Ravens don't listen to Moe Moton's advice. In his latest column, the Bleacher Report analyst suggested they could land A.J. Brown by sending a second-round pick and WR Rashod Bateman to the Philadelphia Eagles.

"Brown would reunite with his former Tennessee Titans teammate, Derrick Henry, and add to the team's physical identity. The 6'1", 226-pound outside receiver can be a complement to Flowers, who's a shifty 5'9" wideout who lines up on the boundary and in the slot," Moton wrote. "Jackson could post career numbers with Brown and Flowers as his top two targets."

A.J. Brown to Ravens would be nightmare for Browns

Just like he did in Tennessee, Brown has ruffled some feathers in Philadelphia. He's a rumored trade candidate (although, a complicated one from a salary cap perspective), and while the Browns could use a big-bodied playmaking wideout like him, they will probably steer clear of him to pursue cheaper targets.

The Ravens, on the other hand, can actually afford to have him while also figuring out what to do with Zay Flowers and extending Lamar Jackson. That could spell trouble, even for the Browns' high-ranked defense.

Brown had a disappointing 2025 by his standards, and he still hauled in 78 receptions on 121 targets for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns. He was a top-three wide receiver just a couple of years ago, and he's still in his physical prime at 28 years old.

The AFC North could be more wide open than people think. There will be three new head coaches, plus one on the hot seat in Zac Taylor. The table is set for a dynamic shift, but this hypothetical move would elevate the Ravens' already impressive offense.

Of course, he also has a long history of burning bridges and creating turmoil in the locker room, so perhaps having him in Baltimore would be beneficial for the Browns in the long run. Still, that's a risk the Ravens coould be willing to take, and one Browns fans definitely don't want to see.

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