The Cleveland Browns trading for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk may be wishful thinking for the AFC organization and those who cover it. However, one star Browns wideout would welcome the addition of Aiyuk.
"It's just making the receiver corps a lot better," Jerry Jeudy said Sunday via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. "Brandon Aiyuk is a great player, so bringing him to the team, we're going to make the team better and help us win more games and that's the goal, to win more games."
Jeudy joined the Browns in March via a trade from the Denver Broncos.
Cabot recently suggested that the Browns might be a perfect trade partner for the 49ers. Unlike other potential suitors who might only be able to offer draft picks as compensation, which would be useless to the 49ers this season, the Browns can offer a player to replace Aiyuk. Cabot suggested that 30-year-old wide receiver Amari Cooper, whose salary aligns nicely with what the 49ers have reportedly offered Aiyuk, could be dealt to the Bay Area team.
After requesting a trade, Aiyuk reported to training camp with the rest of his teammates. However, he has not been participating in practices, essentially "holding in" until the 49ers either meet his salary demands or trade him.
Aiyuk is slated to earn $14.124 million in 2024 on a team-exercised fifth-year option, a fraction of the going rate for top NFL receivers. Several wideouts have exceeded the $30 million-per-year mark this offseason.
Cabot wrote: "The loaded 49ers haven't been willing to pay Aiyuk the $30 million a year he's seeking, but the Browns might be up for it, considering he'd be a cornerstone of their offense for the next five years or so. They might have part with five-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper to pull it off, but the long-term gain might be worth the short-term pain."
For now, the 49ers are unwilling to entertain trade offers. However, insider Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area believes a trade isn't out of the question. San Francisco appears to be unwilling to budge on its last offer, which is well short of the $30 million-per-year mark. Aiyuk could eventually give in and accept the deal.
"At this point, Aiyuk and the 49ers have some options," Maiocco wrote. "And it appears more likely than ever that the 49ers are willing to make a trade. It might be up to Aiyuk to determine the next move."
Maiocco predicts that because Cooper is in the final year of his deal, the Browns would need to include draft compensation as part of a trade package for Aiyuk, possibly even a 2025 second-round pick.
