Report: Browns and Patriots final contenders for Brandon Aiyuk. What happens next?

The Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes continues.  In what feels a bit like deja vu from the 2022 trade deal for quarterback Deshaun Watson with the story changing daily, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area is reporting that trade frameworks are in place for the 49ers to trade Aiyuk to either the Cleveland Browns or the New England Patriots.

The Browns and Patriots are on the shortlist of teams who were in communication for a potential Aiyuk trade . The others were with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Commanders.

What happens next is up to Brandon Aiyuk. He will choose the team he wants to play for.  In either scenario, he will move to the AFC.  If he chooses the Patriots, he will be in the AFC East with the Jets, Dolphins, and Bills.  His quarterback will either be rookie Drake Maye or Jacoby Brissett.

According to Mary Kay Cabot , the Browns' trade package involves Amari Cooper and multiple draft picks, potentially a second-round draft pick in 2025.  That is where the story differs from Deshaun Watson's.  The Browns are set to receive their first Round 1 pick in an NFL Draft in 2025 since the Watson trade, and Cabot reports a first-round pick is not part of the proposed trade package for Aiyuk.

Amari Cooper was acquired in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys in 2022.  He has been a consistent target for a multitude of Browns quarterbacks since he arrived.  Cooper, 30, negotiated a more lucrative final year of his contract with the Browns earlier this spring.  He did not get an extension in that deal and will be a free agent in 2025.  The Browns also have Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore on the wide receiver depth chart.