According to Luke Chandler of the Akron Beacon-Journal, wide receiver Braylon Edwards is likely to remain with the Browns in 2009 despite rumors that he could be traded this offseason.
4Braylon Edwards, WR – With the trade of Winslow, Edwards is likely going to be a Brown again in 2009, which is a free agency year for him. The team would have to get at least a first round, and multiple future picks for the Edwards trade to make any sense.
There are a couple of wildcards in a trade scenario involving Edwards. First and foremost, new head coach Eric Mangini and GM George Kokinis have no previous ties to Edwards and as they proved with Kellen Winslow, they’re not shy about trading a key piece if the right deal came along.
Edwards’ contract also expires at the end of the year and if Kokinis doesn’t feel that the Browns could re-sign him next offseason (if Kokinis would even want to re-sign him that is), it would make sense to get compensation now.
Finally, the Giants are in quite the predicament with Plaxico Burress and are clearly in need of a wide receiver. One rumor that has been circulating had the Giants trading DE/OLB Mathias Kiwanuka for Edwards, although that hasn’t picked up much steam over the past couple weeks.
But in the end, maybe Chandler is right and Edwards will remain a Brown. He certainly has a ton of talent, but he has underachieved for most of his career in Cleveland and unless he produces this season, it makes no sense for the Browns to pony up next offseason to retain him.
