Although the Cleveland Browns handled their final three first-round picks in a terrible manner, the Deshaun Watson trade tragedy makes the danger of betting on one more top pick in 2025 appear manageable in contrast.
When wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers received the go-ahead to pursue a trade, Cleveland put its hat in the ring right away. Attempting to enter the running for Dallas Cowboys standout CeeDee Lamb at this time would just be an elaborate version of the same concept.
The Browns may potentially approach owner Jerry Jones with an offer if Lamb and the Cowboys are unable to reach an agreement on a contract extension.
A deal centered on running back Nick Chubb, Cleveland’s second-round pick in 2026, and the team’s first-round pick in the following year’s draft may spark serious discussions.
Nevertheless, the Browns need to take into account that Lamb’s market worth is $34 million a year for a four-year contract, or $136 million in total. In addition, he set a career high last season with 135 receptions, leading the NFL, to go along with his 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns.
CeeDee Lamb’s Contract Demands Could Decrease Trade Cost for Browns
Entering just his first season at age 25, Lamb is among the greatest few wide receivers in the league, having been selected to the All-Pro team each of the previous two seasons.
Insiders like ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believed that Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings, one of Lamb’s rivals, could draw offers this summer of up to two first-round selections and another asset, either an experienced starter or a third draft pick in the middle rounds.
Any team that trades for Lamb, though, would have to agree to a multiyear extension that would cost more than $33 million a year. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, on August 17, “My understanding is [the current offer is] around $33 million, and for Lamb, that’s still not good enough.”
“He wants it to happen because Justin Jefferson is at the top of the market with $35 million. Also, the structure—cash flow guarantees and how that will be organized on the front part of the deal—needs to be improved, according to sources who are aware with Lamb’s philosophy.
Lamb’s wage demands might act as leverage for an opposing negotiator, lowering his trade worth relative to Jefferson’s and resulting in a first- and second-round pick plus Chubb instead of two firsts and a player in the previously outlined pitch.
In 2022, Browns general manager Andrew Berry defeated the Cowboys in a trade involving a high-profile wide receiver, obtaining Amari Cooper in exchange for a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round swap.
Cowboys Have Running Back Problem That Calls for Upgrade Like Nick Chubb
It makes some sense to include Cooper in a deal rather than Chubb because he could at least partially fill Lamb’s role in Dallas. Nevertheless, Cooper was effectively salary-dumped to Cleveland by Jones and the Cowboys two years prior.
Even if it was clearly a mistake, it seems doubtful that Dallas would want Cooper in the last year of his contract in 2024. The company won’t pay him in the long run now if it didn’t want to back then.
With fewer than three weeks until the season opener in Northeast Ohio on September 8 against the Browns, the Cowboys have severe concerns at the running back position. This offseason, running back Ezekiel Elliott returned to the Dallas team on a $2 million, one-year contract.
The reunion took place following one go-round with the New England Patriots in 2023, during which he started only five games and collected career-lows of 642 running yards and 3 TDs on a pitiful 3.5 yards per carry average. Elliott, who turns 29 this season, is presently ranked first among running backs on the Cowboys depth chart.
Nick Chubb Offers Potentially Big Upside to Any Trade Partner
Chubb, meantime, is recovering from a devastating knee injury. Though he is a year Elliott’s junior, he has improved greatly in the last few seasons. Prior to sustaining a knee injury in Week 2 of the previous season, Chubb was selected to the Pro Bowl in four out of five seasons. Elliott, on the other hand, hasn’t played in the Pro Bowl since 2019 and has just once finished with more than 1,000 running yards in the previous four seasons.
Additionally, Chubb recently took a pay cut to less than $2.3 million, which presents the Cowboys with a significant upside if he returns to full vigor in a few weeks. After a strong comeback, Dallas may be the first team to sign the running back when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the spring of 2020.
