The Cleveland Browns are a bit of a mess. The offense is putrid, and overpaid quarterback Deshaun Watson doesn't help even when he is healthy enough to play (which is rare). He won't help next season, either, after tearing his Achilles during the 2024 season. At least, the running back room is decent, but the receiving corps is not so good.
One might wonder what the real problem is. Are the players the problem? Or is the coaching staff unable to develop players such as Cedric Tillman? Maybe the culture set by ownership is the biggest problem.
Heck, owner Jimmy Haslam said this week, according to ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi, that the team took a "big swing and miss" when trading for Watson. Sure, the quarterback was productive on the field for the Houston Texans, but he had significant red flags off the field. Maybe Haslam should not have OK'd the deal in the first place.
Cleveland Browns have no chance of trading for 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk
Not that it matters because any quarterback for the Browns would not have many options to throw passes to in terms of quality. Jerry Jeudy is good, but that is about it. If Cleveland had any hope of adding a player like San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to pair with Jeudy, those dreams are also dashed.
Last offseason, there was a lot of trade talk surrounding Aiyuk. He wanted a contract extension, and the team eventually gave him one. The possibility of trading him now makes zero sense for the 49ers. A move would bring the team $41 million in dead cap. He is not going to the Browns or anywhere else.
#49ers GM John Lynch says he expects WR Brandon Aiyuk to be a part of the team this year. He said he thought there was "spill over" from last year where teams wanted to try to acquire Aiyuk.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) March 31, 2025
But added "there's no regret" about the extension.
"We love Brandon Aiyuk as a…
San Francisco general manager John Lynch confirmed that this week, too, when he said at the NFL meetings, "We love Brandon Aiyuk as a football player. We did when we drafted him and we're excited to move forward with him."
Still, some fans, whether Browns fans or anyone else, believe Aiyuk could be moved. The only financial way that would occur is if a team is willing to take on nearly all of Aiyuk's contract, and few teams can do that. The 49ers would still be on the hook for paying Aiyuk quite a bit, and the move would signal a teardown of their offense a bit after trading Deebo Samuel this offseason.
The 49ers, when healthy, are a potential Super Bowl team, so it's lunacy to think the team would move the wide receiver. Plus, the Browns don't have the cap room to add Aiyuk (the team has $-6,580,618 in 2026 alone). Fans can thank Jimmy Haslam for being good with adding "swing and miss" quarterback Deshaun Watson for that.
So, the easy decision to make for the Browns? Take Colorado's Travis Hunter with the second overall pick in the 2025 draft. Taking a quarterback might make sense, too, but there isn't one, other than maybe Cam Ward, who is guaranteed to be good into the future. Hunter is almost certain to be a star no matter where he lines up. Of course, maybe the Browns take him and make him a cornerback, but that would be a mistake.
Hunter next to Jeudy would be gold. Cleveland can't screw that up. Thanks for the Aiyuk news, Hunter should be ready to wear a Browns uniform beginning next season.