Report: Browns Nearly Pulled Off Trade For Young WR

The Cleveland Browns had the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL last year at just 15.2 points per game. Things are only fractionally better this year, largely because the passing game has lacked any sort of explosiveness, regardless of who the quarterback is.

Jerry Jeudy emerged as a legitimate No. 1 receiver last season, but he has regressed in his second year in Cleveland. Nobody around him has blossomed either, which is why the Browns reportedly almost traded for a young, explosive receiver ahead of the trade deadline.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported new details on the situation, revealing that the Browns were close to acquiring wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. Mitchell, a young and explosive former second-round pick, ultimately landed with the New York Jets as part of the blockbuster trade involving Sauce Gardner.

“Former Colts second-rounder Adonai Mitchell was another player who received real interest. In fact, had he not gone to the Jets as part of the Gardner deal, the Browns planned to complete a trade for Mitchell, sending a late-round pick to Indianapolis. Mitchell has just nine catches this season for 152 yards, plus had a notable gaffe when he let go of the ball before the goal line against the Rams. He had fallen out of favor with the Colts,” Rapoport wrote.

Mitchell was a bit of a disappointment for the 7-2 Indianapolis Colts and fell out of the rotation after dropping a touchdown prematurely at the goal line a few weeks back. He was a second-round pick in 2024, but provides a similar skill set to Alec Pierce as an explosive downfield threat and became expendable for Indy.

ADONAI MITCHELL OH NOOOO

WHAT ARE YOU DOING????

A DISASTER. LITERALLY MORONIC 🤦‍♂️pic.twitter.com/dQixbGJoVW

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 28, 2025

The Browns likely could have had him for next to nothing, and he would have been a nice little addition for this offense. Cleveland doesn’t have a viable deep threat, and Dillon Gabriel hasn’t completed a pass longer than 24 yards in any of his starts.

It hurts a bit to know the Browns could have had him for nothing more than a late-round pick, but hopefully, other young receivers such as Isaiah Bond or Jamari Thrash can prove themselves over the second half of this season instead.