Yesterday the news broke that the Brandon Aiyuk trade was very, very real. According to reports, it’s down to the Browns and the Patriots. Both teams have presented trade packages to the 49ers, and they have accepted both. It’s now up to Aiyuk to choose his team. If he just wants money, then he’ll probably pick New England. If he wants to win, he’ll probably pick Cleveland. I had heard he wanted to stay on the west coast, so he might be holding out for another team to jump in.
The rumored compensation for Aiyuk is a veteran player and a draft pick. Everyone is assuming the player will be WR Amari Cooper. This could make sense cap wise, but there a lot of moving parts. It makes more sense to trade WR Elijah Moore. The dead money hit would only be about $3 million. That’s doable. Of course, the Browns would have to give Aiyuk a contract extension and I trust the Browns front office to make it a team friendly deal.
If the player is not a wide receiver, then the only other player who makes sense is Wyatt Teller. If the Browns feel comfortable with Zack Zinter and Michael Dunn, then it could be Teller. The Browns offensive line is always the highest paid position group and that will need to change moving forward. The overall cap savings (saving minus dead money) would be around $12 million. Other than Moore and Teller, the money doesn’t fit, i.e. Newsome or Conklin.
As for the draft pick, I hope it’s no higher than a fourth. Some have made this out to be a situation where the 49ers are trying to dump a problem player. I look at it as a future money dump. San Fran is fine this year cap wise, $53 million under the cap. However, in 2025 they might be as much as $38 million over the cap and QB Brock Purdy becomes a free agent after the 2025 season. Watching all the giant contracts quarterbacks are currently receiving, the 49ers are going to have pay dearly to keep him.
Now we wait. Stay safe and Go Browns.