Browns' star pushes to end career with team instead of being traded

The NFL trade is approaching on Tuesday, and the Cleveland Browns will have a few decisions to make.

Cleveland currently stands at 2-6, with little hope of making the playoffs this season. If the Browns are looking to build for the future, trading off veteran players with expiring contracts could be a smart move to start bolstering their draft capital for the 2026 season.

The Browns have already traded veteran quarterback Joe Flacco and cornerback Greg Newsome, and offensive lineman Wyatt Teller could be next.

Teller's four-year, $56.8 million contract ends at the end of the season, but he doesn't want to leave Cleveland anytime soon.

"I hope that I don't get traded and retire a Cleveland Brown," Teller said on Monday on the possibility he gets traded, via 92.3 The Fan's Daryl Ruiter. "I love it here. I was just talking with these guys about deer hunting, fishing, and other things like that. I don't wanna leave this place."

The Buffalo Bills traded Teller to the Browns after training camp concluded in 2019, and ever since, he has been one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL.

Teller made the Pro Bowl three straight seasons from 2021 to 2023 and has been reliable throughout his Browns career, playing in 96 games.

If Teller wants to stay in Cleveland for the rest of his career, then there's a good chance the Browns won't look to trade him and try to get a new deal done with him in the offseason.

Teller will turn 31 on Nov. 21, so he still has a few more seasons left. The Browns shouldn't think about trading offensive linemen since they don't have much depth at the position.

While Cleveland likely won't be making the playoffs, it is still dealing with a rookie quarterback in Dillon Gabriel, who needs all the protection he can get.

If the Browns trade away Teller, it would create a gap at right guard that could potentially hinder Gabriel's development.

Gabriel is already facing significant challenges, and possibly losing one of the team's top offensive linemen certainly won’t make things any easier.

It would be great to see Teller stay in Cleveland throughout the season and the rest of his career, and maybe he can be a key player in the Browns' possible turnaround next season.

Cleveland will return to action this Sunday when it heads to play the New York Jets, and hopefully, Teller will still be in uniform.