Earlier this year, before the Cleveland Browns lost even one game, they were ready to trade Amari Cooper. 

The club was deep in trade talks with the San Francisco 49ers who were, at the time, trying to figure out what to do with Brandon Aiyuk if they couldn’t sign him to a contract extension. And while the clubs obviously didn’t close the deal, they had parameters of one in place that also included the Browns sending draft compensation to the 49ers.

Cooper Trade Different Now 

Well, fast forward a couple of months and, sure enough, the Browns traded Cooper. They sent him to the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday.

But here’s the thing: What the Browns were thinking when they made Cooper available in August and what they did in trading him this week are much different things.

The August deal was meant to improve the team immediately and make the 2024 Browns better.

The deal on Tuesday made the 2024 Browns weaker. Worse.

Because the Browns understand it’s no longer just about the 2024 season. It’s now as much about tomorrow as it is today.

HOUSTON – Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Dec. 24, 2023. Photo: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Browns Turn Page On 2024 Season

Today, you see, the Browns are stinking with a 1-5 record and limited prospects of getting significantly better. So the personnel department isn’t saying it, but actions speak louder than words.

The Browns personnel department is on to next year.

No one in Cleveland will admit this publicly. Or privately. 

The narrative there is this club is full steam ahead on 2024.

And they’re insisting on that even as coach Kevin Stefanski admitted Wednesday he’s “disappointed” to lose Cooper. 

BEREA, OHIO – Executive vice president, football operations & general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns watch a drill during an OTA offseason workout at their CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 22, 2024. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

Kevin Stefanski ‘Disappointed’

“I think disappointed when you lose any player for injury or otherwise, trade, whatever it is, so, I wish Amari luck,” Stefanski said. “Obviously, I talked to him yesterday. We’re excited, it opens up opportunities for other guys. 

“But, yeah, you obviously become close to your players, and you don’t like to lose anybody for any reason. But we understand the business part of that, and we’re excited what the opportunities will be for some other guys.”

The other guys are not necessarily as good. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been sitting behind Cooper on the depth chart.

But as Stefanski himself admitted, the business side has entered into the equation for the Browns.

And the business goal is no longer exclusively to win games in 2024. It’s actually about setting up 2025 and beyond even at the expense of this season.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns is not happy with the referees during his team’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Stefanski Has To Convince Players

Everyone in Cleveland is seeing this now. Or should be.

That’s why Stefanski was asked about the difficulty of “selling” the locker room on the idea that winning now is still the priority.

“I think our guys get that the number one thing here is to win,” Stefanski said. “Number one thing is to compete. The truth is you do lose guys throughout the course of a season. Sometimes it’s due to injury, sometimes it’s due to trade, whatever it may be, and our guys have to step up when that time comes.”

Stefanski just showed you he graduated from the politician school of saying a bunch of words that do not directly answer a question.

The question was how he was going to convince his players to forget what they’ve just seen and believe the organization prioritizes winning now. 

The coach’s workaround answer doesn’t change the fact his job just got harder. 

LANDOVER, Md. – Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns reacts against the Washington Commanders during the third quarter at Northwest Stadium on October 6, 2024. (Photo by Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Browns Add To List Of Problems

It was hard enough before this week because his offensive line has played like a turnstile.

And his quarterback cannot read defenses and process quickly enough to overcome the problem.

And the running game was lacking its best player in Nick Chubb.

And the burden of carrying the team got too heavy for the defense.

And so, 1-5.

Now, Stefanski’s job is harder. Now it’s to manage all those issues while also convincing 53 grown men that the organization hasn’t given up on the season so they shouldn’t either – despite clear evidence that’s exactly what the organization just did.

It’s not a formula for a rally the remainder of this season, Dawg Pound.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers watches during a training camp session at Bank of America Stadium on August 24, 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Teams Have Given Up In Past

The Browns are not the first to face this dilemma in the days that lead up and come after the NFL trade deadline.

We’ve seen sinking teams head for the life boats at the trade deadline before.

The Washington Commanders did it last year, trading away both their starting edge rushers in Montez Sweat and Chase Young.

The Carolina Panthers did it in 2022, trading away running back Christian McCaffrey.

The Denver Broncos, amid a 1-4 October record in 2021, traded Von Miller to the Los Angeles Rams.

Teams dealing away good players are giving up on seasons, people. 

Wide receiver Davante Adams. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)

Raiders Admit It’s About The Future

The Raiders? They’re kind of this year’s poster child of giving up.

They gave up on Davante Adams a couple of weeks ago. But Adams gave up on them first, telling the team he wanted out when the club was 2-2.

Adams didn’t trust the Las Vegas quarterback situation last year. Didn’t trust it this year when the Raiders signed Gardner Minshew. And was downright disappointed when six quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the NFL draft and the Raiders didn’t land any of them.

So he quit on that team even while it was playing .500 ball.

But give the Raiders credit: While the Browns are trying to make everyone believe they’re still fully on board with this season, the Raiders don’t mind basically saying they’re looking toward the future now.

“Players come and go,” owner Mark Davis told reporters at an NFL meeting in Atlanta on Tuesday. “If things don’t work out, they don’t work out. [General Manager] Tom Telesco did a good job of making sure that we move forward in the future with as little distraction as possible.”

So bring on the future, because 2024 is not the only priority anymore.