The Cleveland Browns are content to start Brian Hoyer over Johnny Manziel for the rest of the season and this comes as Josh Gordon is set to make his return a couple games after Week 10 and once the offseason hits, the Browns may look at a Vincent Jackson trade, Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson deal or Mike Wallace trade, as they will have a solid team coming back and adding a big name WR could put them in position to make the playoffs.
The Browns are 5-3 and third in a wide open AFC north this season and they have played better than expectations, already surpassing their win total from last season. The team could look at making some moves in the offseason, as they will have Brian Hoyer coming in after a solid season and Josh Gordon returning and Ray Farmer may consider trades to help the offense. At the trade deadline this year, names like Vincent Jackson, Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald and Mike Wallace came up and while those players were not moved, things could change in the offseason.
More often than not in the NFL trades and hard decisions on the roster have to do with money and while all those players above are very talented, they are also very expensive. The Cardinals are off to their best start in decades this season, but they may have to consider trading Fitzgerald in the offseason with his contract taking up a ton of the cap. Last season ESPN.com writer Adam Schefter wrote that the Cardinals would be looking to trade Fitzgerald in the offseason due to the high cap number he had coming into 2014.
Obviously that did not happen, but Schefter may have just been a bit early on that speculation. Fitzgerald is an All-Pro player, but his cap number will be $23 million next season and with $14 million in dead money attached, it's likely a trade will go down before his release and that is what the Cardinals could be dealing with. ESPN.com blogger John Weinfuss wrote earlier this season that the team will likely consider making a move with Fitzgerald, as they have at least 10 contracts that will be expiring and many of those players need to be re-signed. Fitzgerald is a great player, but with the emergence of Michael Floyd and John Brown along with Andre Ellington in the offense, he is not as essential as he once was.
Andre Johnson came up in trade rumors around training camp when he was away from the team and now after some comments he made about being unhappy, they have come up again. Johnson is into his 30s and with the Texans getting younger, he could eventually get moved and that is an option for the Texans. Johnson has been very productive over the past few years, but he is off his usual pace this season.
Adam Schefter from ESPN.com reported that the Buccaneers were shopping Jackson at the trade deadline and while that did not go down, it could come up again after the season. Jackson is signed to a big deal and with Mike Evans emerging, Lovie Smith could look at making moves with Jackson and Mike Glennon.
