We are a little over 24 hours after the 2025 NFL trade deadline passed and the Cleveland Browns are pretty much the same team. One defender out, one defender in and two open roster spots on the 53-man
roster for a team that is 2-6 but technically not out of the running for the NFL playoffs.
Many were surprised by the lack of moves made by Browns GM Andrew Berry, especially with the poor record, trades made previously and an interest in multiple players on the roster. Cleveland also has a ton of players set to enter free agency that they could have dealt away before losing them.
After processing the decisions not made and speaking to many around the team and league, here are the five reasons the Browns decided not to sell off parts at the deadline:
Browns players want to stay
While everyone understood that OL Joel Bitonio should have a say over how he finishes the season and, likely, his career, the team took into account that many players want to continue to fight through the problems and love their time in Cleveland. We heard that this week from TE David Njoku and OL Wyatt Teller:
Desire to retain pending free agents with extensions or after the season
For a bad team, Cleveland’s roster has some talented players that other teams were interested in. A bad team doesn’t get better by getting rid of those players. Whether it is Njoku, Teller or a few other players, the Browns are interested in getting a few of their players to extend their time with the team. Whether that happens with extensions this season or before the players can talk to other teams in the offseason, keeping them around allows the team to keep those conversations going.
Compensatory Picks
A slightly muddied process but if any of the pending free agents do decide to leave, the Browns could receive higher picks in the 2027 NFL draft than they might have gotten at the deadline. The team also already has 10 selections in the upcoming draft, so adding more picks in 2026 may not have been as valuable as, potentially, getting comp picks in 2027.
Salary Cap
One of the contract mechanisms that Berry (and other smart teams like the Eagles) have used to create cap space is void years. Basically, it involves loaning money from the future at a discounted rate toward the salary cap. Teams plan around it and understand that the cap will go up (hence the “discounted rate” because $1 million against a $300 million cap is less than $1 million against a $275 million one) but have to deal with it when the time comes.
Take Njoku, for example. If he leaves in free agency this offseason, Cleveland will have a $24 million cap hit for him to play for another team and would have had some of that even if they dealt him. However, if Njoku signs an extension, the Browns are able to save a big chunk of cap space:
Culture and Locker Room
Many believe that Cleveland’s 2025 NFL draft class will be a big part of the team’s foundation when they are competitive again. For that group, there is a big difference between being competitive (as they were with the Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings) and getting blown out the rest of the season if the Browns traded away their talented veterans.
Creating a culture where losing is expected would be concerning. Cleveland needs to think about what the team is building for the future, not just on the field but also in the locker room. That is one of the reasons the New York Jets held on to WR Garrett Wilson despite trade interest: They want to make sure their next quarterback has talent to throw to and isn’t thrown into a situation where losing is expected.
Whether the Browns were right in holding on to their veterans or not, the team had reasons to do so. What will matter most is how the rest of the season looks (not just in the record book) and if the team can create some momentum heading into the offseason.
Do you think any of these reasons were good enough not to sell off their veteran players yesterday?
Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below
