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Browns wide receivers focusing on 'guys that are here,' not Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors
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- Browns wide receivers focusing on 'guys that are here,' not Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors
BEREA — Brandon Aiyuk is the wide receiver many Browns fans have been thinking about for the last 24 hours, if not longer. The problem for them is that, as of Tuesday afternoon, Aiyuk is still on the San Francisco 49ers roster.
That does no good for Browns wide receiver coach Chad O'Shea, who was asked about the reports involving the Browns and the disgruntled wide receiver.
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"Yeah, my focus right now truly is on the guys that are here on this team," O'Shea said Tuesday afternoon. "And I'm going to say this, the group that we have right now has worked so hard, both in the offseason and then so far in training camp, of doing the things we've asked them to do. They've been able to really stay in the present and really work to improve every day. It's a very enjoyable group that I'm working with at the Cleveland Browns ."
There's no guarantee Aiyuk ever walks into the Browns wide receiver room. At this point, the connections between the two is merely in media reports that have come out in the last day or so indicating a trade could happen between the 49ers and Browns.
NBC Bay Area's Matt Maiocco reported late Monday night the 49ers had "the framework" of a deal done with both the Browns and the New England Patriots , although Maiocco reported Tuesday night the Patriots had withdrawn their offer. Monday's report said the ultimate decision would've then come down to Aiyuk choosing which team's contract terms he preferred.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) talks to the media during Super Bowl LVIII Opening Night on Feb. 5 in Las Vegas.
Of course, that report also stipulated that Aiyuk had the option to choose neither and stay with the 49ers. He and the team have been at odds with regards to a long-term contract for months, which has led him to show up to San Francisco 's training camp but not participate in any on-field activities.
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On Tuesday, though, another team re-emerged into the mix for the 2020 first-round pick. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Pittsburgh Steelers — who, along with the Washington Commanders , were said to be out of the Aiyuk sweepstakes the night before — had re-entered the chat for his services.
"As you know, I don't really get into reports," Stefanski said Tuesday. "Respectfully, and I understand the question, but really just focused on today and the practice. I don't really concern myself with reports."
Until there is some resolution in the Aiyuk matter, either by him getting a new deal done with the 49ers or a trade getting done with one of his suitors, he will be a matter of conversation. That means, by extension, Amari Cooper 's future with the Browns will be a matter of conversation.
Cooper had his own contract dispute this offseason as he, too, enters his final season on his current deal. His dispute, despite him not attending either the voluntary offseason program or the mandatory minicamp, was resolved enough for him to report on time for training camp.
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"He's meant a lot," second-year wide receiver Cedric Tillman said of Cooper. "Like I said, people don't think Amari really talks a lot. He talks, but just kind of seeing how he goes about his day being a pro and just [the] biggest thing — how he's consistent."
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) poses with 10-year-olds Bryce Williams and Alex St. Claire, who are from Canal Fulton, after practice Sunday at the Browns training facility in Berea.
Cooper is the first Browns wide receiver to post back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving season since coming to the team in 2022 from the Dallas Cowboys , with 2,410 combined yards and 14 touchdowns on 150 catches. Aiyuk, in that same span, has 2,357 yards and 15 touchdowns on 153 catches.
The two of them are connected because of Cooper being the player who would reportedly be heading to San Francisco, along with draft picks, in a potential Aiyuk trade. It wouldn't be the first time he's been dealt — he was traded from Oakland to Dallas in 2019 and from Dallas to Cleveland — but it doesn't mean there aren't emotions that have to be balanced with the business side of the sport.
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"Every team goes through that, where you have noise outside the building," O'Shea said. "This team, at the Browns, has done a great job of ignoring that noise and just focusing on the job at hand, and today is to have a great practice and to have great walkthroughs and great meetings.
"And I can speak specifically for the wide receiver group, their focus and their attention to detail and what they're bringing to the table as far as their work ethic every day, has been outstanding."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns focus on current wide receivers, not Brandon Aiyuk rumors
