Once again, there are rumors swirling at the Cleveland Browns might be poking around on a potential Brandon Aiyuk trade.
The San Francisco 49ers wide receiver is one of the teams' best receiver left after Deebo Samuel left for the Washington Commanders this offseason. Samuel highlighted the several key departures suffered by San Francisco, though, as they look to 2025 with a huge question mark hanging over it. Once contenders, it feels like the 49ers are about to hit a wall on their potential.
That's what makes an Aiyuk trade seem plausible. Shipping him off to Cleveland for, let's say, a 3rd or 4th round pick in addition to a starer like Jack Conklin or Wyatt Teller would help San Francisco start a potential rebuild with rookies. But, so far, neither side has blinked - and, with some new reporting from NFL insider Dianna Russini, it seems like there's been no stare down in the first place over Aiyuk.
Russini throws cold water on Aiyuk to Browns rumors
Russini, a senior NFL insider for The Athletic, mentioned on her podcast that trade rumors regarding Aiyuk, the 49ers, and the Browns seem far fetched to her. She does note that, financially, it would make sense that San Francisco is shopping the receiver, but so far she hasn't gotten the sense that it's a trade happening any time soon.
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"I don't get the sense that it's a reality. I’m sure the 49ers would like to trade Brandon because of the finances…We’ll see what happens with this, I don’t expect anything,” said Russini on the most recent episode of Scoop City.
The rumors of Cleveland being once again interested in acquiring Aiyuk seemed to come out of the blue, which could definitely indicate it's a whole lot of smoke with no actual fire involved. Plus, the team has yet to really secure a starting quarterback - unless you're convinced Kenny Pickett is one - so trading for Aiyuk feels like putting the cart before the horse.
The draft is just under one month away, and there, Cleveland may just find their answer at quarterback. They can also find some solid potential answers at wide receiver if they're so concerned about finding a reliable target for their next signal caller. Travis Hunter is likely to be available to them with their No. 2 overall pick, and he'd be a cornerstone receiver and defensive back for the Browns.