The Cleveland Browns could be interested in the Minnesota Vikings wide receiver.
With the Minnesota Vikings starting the season 1-5 and the team in need of cap space to rebuild their roster in 2021, a number of their players have been coming up in recent trade rumors.
Longtime members of the Vikings roster like Kyle Rudolph, Harrison Smith, and even Adam Thielen could be on their way out before this year’s trade deadline on November 3.
Rudolph and Smith are assumed by most as Minnesota players who are more likely to be dealt than Thielen. However, the Vikings top receiver could be sent packing if the team is presented with a lucrative enough offer.
Could the Minnesota Vikings trade their top receiver to the Cleveland Browns?
On Sunday, the Cleveland Browns and former Minnesota assistant coach Kevin Stefanski were able to squeak out a win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Even though the Browns were able to end the afternoon with a victory, their receiving corps might have suffered a tremendous loss.
Early in the matchup, Cleveland receiver Odell Beckham Jr. headed into the locker room after injuring his knee. Beckham didn’t return to the game and according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Browns are fearing that he might have suffered a serious injury to his knee.
If Beckham ends up being lost for the remainder of the season, it wouldn’t be shocking if Stefanski gave a call to his old team and Cleveland attempted to work out a deal to acquire Thielen away from the Vikings.
The Browns currently have the most cap space in the NFL, so affording the Minnesota receiver wouldn’t be a problem at all. Thielen is also somewhat familiar with the offense that Cleveland runs since Stefanski has implemented some of the same concepts he used when he was the Vikings offensive coordinator last season.
If Beckham’s knee injury turns out to be serious, trading for Thielen is certainly one route the Browns could take to make up for the loss in their passing attack. It will just come down to what Minnesota is asking for in order to part ways with their top pass-catcher.
Cleveland has four picks in the first three rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft, so they would probably have to include at least one of these in a trade offer for Thielen. The veteran receiver still has value to the Vikings and their future, so the team should be asking for no worse than a second-round pick in return for Thielen.
Could a reunion between Stefanski and Thielen be happening in the near future or will Minnesota’s asking price turn out to be too high for the Browns to pull the trigger on a deal?