The Cleveland Browns were rumored to be buyers ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, they were planning on trading a late-round draft pick for some wide receiver help, but got beat to the punch.
The Browns were interested in a late-round pick swap with the Indianapolis Colts that would have sent wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to Cleveland. However, Mitchell was included in the blockbuster trade for New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner.
The Colts ultimately opted to trade Mitchell to the Jets with two first-round picks to acquire Gardner as a cornerstone of their defense.
The Browns were interested in WR Adonai Mitchell and were planning to send a late round pick at the deadline, per @RapSheet
Mitchell wound up on the Jets. pic.twitter.com/gnq3bNhrBx
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) November 8, 2025
Indianapolis selected Mitchell with their second-round pick in 2024. He caught 23 passes for 312 yards during his rookie season. Through eight games this season, he has caught nine passes for 152 yards. He’s yet to find the end zone in his NFL career.
After a blistering 4.34 at the NFL Combine, Mitchell quickly became one of the most coveted receivers in last year’s draft. The Colts took Mitchell off the board just two slots ahead of Cleveland’s pick, which ended up being defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. out of Ohio State.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry has known to be resourceful to acquire talent at wide receiver – but it has not exactly paid off. He spent a fifth-round draft pick to trade for Amari Cooper from the Dallas Cowboys and acquired Jerry Jeudy from the Denver Broncos for a fourth and fifth-round selection.
In 2023, Berry traded Cleveland’s second-round pick to the Jets for Elijah Moore and New York’s third-round pick.
But Berry has struggled to build an NFL-caliber receiver room. When he was hired as general manager, he acquired a roster with Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. Six years later, the Browns currently feature a room headlined by Jeudy. Cedric Tillman is yet to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in his three NFL seasons. Jamari Thrash and Isaiah Bond are the other options in Cleveland’s receiver room.
During his college career, Mitchell won back-to-back championships with Georgia before transferring to Texas for his final season. He never eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving in a single season, but his 11 touchdowns with the Longhorns paired with word-class speed helped turn him into an intriguing draft selection.
In the weeks leading up to the NFL trade deadline, there was speculation that the Browns could make a splash at wide receiver, potentially prying Garrett Wilson away from the rebuilding Jets.
That always felt unrealistic, as the Browns are also rebuilding, only have two wins, and need both of their first-round draft picks in April to try and fix this dismal offense.
While Mitchell would have been a low-risk addition, it’s on par with the lackluster moves that Berry has made in hopes to fix Cleveland’s receiver issue.
