Could a Chandler Jones trade to the Browns make sense?
The Cleveland Browns set out to upgrade their defense this offseason and feel that they did so. Chandler Jones set out to upgrade his contract situation and was not successful, leading to the edge defender requesting a trade from the Arizona Cardinals:
All-Pro pass rusher Chandler Jones requested a trade from the Arizona Cardinals this offseason, per sources. Jones has been unhappy with his contract and future with the team. Cardinals don’t want to trade him and expect him to report to camp. But certainly a situation to watch.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) July 25, 2021
Does trading for Jones make sense for the Browns?
First, for the Cardinals it is a complicated situation. The team needs to win as the clock on Kliff Kingsbury could be ticking. Yet, an unhappy veteran can be very damaging to a locker room. Jones is coming back from a torn biceps, playing only five games last season.
The previous year, Jones set a career-high with 19 sacks.
At 31 years old, the Cardinals’ edge rusher is looking for one last payday. His current contract ends after this season and this year’s money is not guaranteed. For edge rushers, Jones’ average salary is quite low and is the same as Bud Dupree signed for this year.
Dupree isn’t in the same league as Jones and is only 3 years younger.
For the Cardinals, dealing Jones would require adding talent at the edge rusher spot or upgrading another position, as well as draft considerations.
Second, for the Browns, a deal could be difficult to pull off. While the team added Takk McKinley and Jadeveon Clowney this offseason, neither is the caliber of Jones. The contract is where things may get tough.
Despite his age, Jones may be looking for a contract in the top five, or so, edge rushers in the game. That would put him in line for a contract around $18 – 20 million a year.
While the Browns could construct that contract in a variety of ways to make it work best for them, their salary cap constrictions in the next couple of years would make that difficult. Even trading McKinley or Clowney, which the Cardinals may want, would only save the Browns about $3 million in cap space.
Finally, for Jones, Cleveland could be a great landing spot. Myles Garrett gets a lot of attention and the team is pushing to compete for a Super Bowl. With the Browns, Jones could be seen as the final piece of a championship puzzle.
The Cardinals likely do not want to trade Jones and, while an upgrade, the Browns likely aren’t keen on spending more cap space to bring in a player over 30 while still trying to work on extensions for their own players.
