I'm telling you, it's not, sustantially because John Dorsey is gone now.
Vincent Frank (USA Today) wrote a terrific article on what the Browns might be able to get for OBJ.
Vincent did his homework, and lists mostly teams who were in pursuit of OBJ prior to the 2019 season, and offers they were rumored to have made.
1: 3rd year WR Dante Pettis and a 2021 1st round pick from the 49ers.
Pettis is similar to OBJ, except he is 6'1", and an ascending player who could start immediately at X.
I'm not saying that Pettis is as good as OBJ (yet), but Baker Mayfield would be fine with him. The deferred first round pick is money in the bank for non-spazzes (
Pettis entering year 3 is due enter his prime as a skill-player.
2: WR Marquez Valdez-Scandling and a 2020 second round pick from the Packers.
Valdez-Scandling is a prototypical X-receiver at 6'4" with good hands and great vertical speed. He also enters his third season.
The Packers 2019 Offense was run-oriented, and the highly-underrated big possessian guy Anthony Lazard was drafted by the new regime in 2019.
Scandling's sophomore stats weren't great, but niether were those of any other Packers' receiver except Davante Adams.
3: A 2020 1st and a 2020 3rd from the Pats. Lots of variables here; notably who plays QB for them and stuff.
4: A 2020 1st rounder from the Raiders (19th overall).
5: 3rd year WR Michael Gallup and a 2020 3rd round pick from Dallas.
Gallup is a rapidly rising big/fast sure-handed X receiver. DePodesta would jump all over this one.
But there are variables here too, like the Cowboys cap situation.
Vince seems to think that Dallas might make this move because OBJ could put them over the top. Dallas has great WR depth too, and OBJ is more explosive than Gallup.
Paul or I would take any of these deals to dump 15 mil off our cap and get real (younger, cheaper) value back.
The lowest draft picks listed here would be lower third rounders. Paul and I know that studly interior offensive linemen, safeties, tight ends, fullbacks, running backs, linebackers, wide receivers, and cornerbacks are often found here.
Pettis, Scandling, or (especially) Gallup would immediately help offset the loss of this elite WR, and all 3 players have 2 or more years remaining on their rookie contracts.
Meanwhile, the Browns need offensive tackles more than anything else, and then (assuming Randall is a GMF...which I don't know why everybody is assuming given the new regime) safety.
The lower first round is great for finding stud Right Tackles (or guards) and safeties, you see?
Meanwhile, the more money you have to spend, the better (snap-snap) are you still with me here?
Take just OBJ's cap-savings alone (15 mil):
This could turn into an above average safety and guard, or a stud safety (with money left over) or a scary edge-rusher, or...in free agency.
This is part of analytics: Each year, rookie contracts expire, and the majority of teams (which don't have a DePodesta) have to let guys go that they don't want to.
Often, these guys have been injured, or stuck behind elite players at their positions, or are "out of favor" due to regime-changes and system-changes (see Ogbah, Nassib, DeValve)
There is always a bidding war for the best of these guys, and the winner does need to pay above real market value, but the structure of the contract can mitigate that:
The player always wants as much guaranteed money as possible up front, in case he gets injured or something.
The smartest GMs give them that, and reduce the guarantees in the 2nd, 3rd, etc years. They cough up a stupidly expensive contract that the agent can brag about, but make sure it costs them less as time goes on.
The combination of salary inflation and shrunken cap-hits make the player more tradeable (or releasable) as time goes on.
Both sides are happy with this. The player is guaranteed his big payday, even if he's maimed immediately...still with me here?
Well, if you have more money to throw around, you can make more of these deals, and you know...build a dynasty?
Re-check Vince's hypothetical Pats' trade for OBJ:
Lord Insideous--with a good QB---would do that. His first and 3rd rounders are really almost 2nd and 4th rounders, and he gets a plug-and-play superstar (under contract for awhile) who could put him right back where (to everybody else's chagrin) he has been for a couple decades now.
That's what Paul DePodesta would do in his place (again assuming he had the cap space and a Quarterback).
...err...the Browns' situation is different, which is why they would take the 2 draft picks, right? I don't need to spell that out, right?
If you want to see Kevin Stefanski's offensive vision, look no further than the 49ers.
Kubiak and Kyle Shanahan run Mike Shanahan's system, and everybody except Kyle (so far) has won Superbowls with it. Stefanski only had Kubiak advising him for one season, but aint stupid.
While the Browns need to upgrade their Oline, the rest of the offensive tools Kevin inherits are outstanding, even after the OBJ trade!
Kareem Hunt is being drasticly undervalued, as is Njoku, and as-is Baker Mayfield running as much play-action (and motion) as Kirk Cousins did under Stefanski in Minnesota.
Upgrading 3 positions on the offensive line is very achievable this offseason, and OBJ is absolutely NOT indispensable. The Browns can become an offensive juggernaut in 2020 with 3 signings and/or draft picks...
Nevermind okbye
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