Bold trade proposal has Browns acquiring star WR Davante Adams from Raiders

The Cleveland Browns front office did a solid job of upgrading the team’s weapons offensively this offseason. Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones did well as the 1-2 punch atop the depth chart, but some help was needed behind them. So, the Browns remade their depth chart.

In free agency, the team signed speedster Marquise Goodwin. Elijah Moore was acquired in a trade from the New York Jets, and a third-round pick was used on Cedric Tillman in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Those three will complement Cooper and Peoples-Jones, along with tight end David Njoku. Youngsters such as Anthony Schwartz could lose their roster spots as a result, since Schwartz has failed to make an impact since being selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

He would certainly lose his roster spot should the Browns pull off the deal that was suggested by Jared Mueller of Dawgs By Nature at SB Nation. He proposed an all-in scenario in which the Browns acquire star wide receiver Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders:

At one point, Josh McDaniels was seen as the savior Cleveland needed. Now, he looks to be trying to salvage his second head coaching position with Jimmy Garoppolo taking over for Derek Carr. Adams pushed for a trade to the Las Vegas Raiders to team with Carr and could be looking for his way out if the season doesn’t start well.

While Adams reuniting with Aaron Rodgers will be discussed, joining the Browns would give the team a much better version of DeAndre Hopkins that fans wanted this offseason. Adams is a precise, talented route runner that would create perfection in Cleveland’s passing attack.

Adding Adams to the mix would certainly provide Deshaun Watson with elite talent around him. Cleveland would have the best wide receiver group in the NFL, but it is fair to wonder if such a move would be worthwhile.

Acquiring Adams would cost the Browns multiple premium draft picks. Their draft capital is already low from previous trades; the team has only two picks in the first four rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft. A 2025 first-round pick, along with the second- and third-rounder in the 2024 NFL Draft, would likely be asked for by Las Vegas.

Would it be smart for Cleveland to dip in to its 2025 capital to make a deal? Probably not. Acquiring Adams now would make all of the work that Andrew Berry did earlier this offseason for naught. 

There is no denying that Adams would upgrade the passing attack, but it doesn’t feel like the asking price is something the Browns should be willing to meet. They made solid upgrades this offseason and saving their assets to fill potential other holes on the roster would be the right thing to do.