If you were surprised by the one-after-another trades that emerged on Friday involving the Browns, you’re not alone. As one league source explained it to PFT, the trades stunned others who had been negotiating potential moves with the Browns.
The Browns weren’t talking only to the Bills about getting a quarterback, the Packers about getting a cornerback, and the Dolphins about getting a receiver. The Browns were talking to other teams and agents for looming free agents (yeah, it’s tampering, but everyone does it) about filling those needs elsewhere. The bing-pow-boom-bing reports of trades on Friday were for some of those folks the first notice they received that other deals being discussed had been rendered moot.
There’s no requirement that teams call, for example, a team that the Browns had been talking to about a trade for a quarterback, cornerback, or receiver before doing a deal that makes it clear that the talks are off, but it’s the kind of thing that can leave people a little miffed about the way things went down.
The Browns may not care. After winning one game in two years, they’re on a mission to dramatically improve the team. If as the Browns bust their asses to get better others get upset that a little sweat has been splashed on them, they’ll get over it. It’s far more important for the Browns to get past 0-16.
