Report: Jets Tried To Land Browns' No. 1 Overall Pick Before Colts Trade
NEW YORK (CBS Sports) -- During the 2018 NFL combine, new Browns GM John Dorsey proclaimed his team was open for business at No. 1 and anyone interested should "give me a call." The Jets did just that, according to a report from Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
Mehta, breaking down the bold decision by the Jets to move up to No. 3 in a blockbuster pre-draft trade with the Colts that cost them multiple second-round picks, reported that GM Mike Maccagnan gave Dorsey a call about the top pick, presumably to try and secure his choice of quarterback.
The Colts deal came together quickly, on a Saturday, and the free agency signing of Kirk Cousins by the Vikings also played a factor -- the Jets had been getting a very "nervous" about Cousins ditching them for Minnesota leading into free agency.
The deal happened fast because the Jets, who also inquired about trading up with the Browns for the No. 1 overall pick, according to sources, were prepared. The groundwork set in Mobile in January gave them a good starting point in discussions after Cousins was no longer an option.
The call with the Browns was probably pretty short. Dorsey, no doubt, is willing to listen to trade offers. But it doesn't look like the Jets were willing to pony up a future first-round pick, which is at bare minimum what it would take for Dorsey to move from No. 1 to No. 6.
Spoiler alert: the Browns are likely to take a quarterback early in this draft. Perhaps they would consider gambling on one of the QBs they like falling to No. 4, but moving back and holding the No. 4 and No. 6 pick is how you end up with the fourth choice of quarterbacks and/or you miss out on both Saquon Barkley and Bradley Chubb. The reward -- a bunch of second-round picks, which the Browns already have -- isn't worth the risk.
Indeed, the Jets and Colts trading is even better news for the Browns. Cleveland can take the quarterback it wants at No. 1 and feel very confident at least one other quarterback will be drafted by the time they're on the clock at No. 4. Which means they are guaranteed either Barkley or Chubb at No. 4, if they want to stay there. (There's hypothetically a scenario where the Jets take a non-QB here, but then the draft would end because Jets fans would burn down AT&T Stadium before the next pick.)
Cleveland could also trade down from No. 4 of course, with there being no shortage of suitors -- Buffalo and Arizona stand out -- interested in leapfrogging the Broncos for the right to take the third or fourth quarterback in this draft.
We might say this every year, but this really is one of the most fascinating drafts in a long time. There are several potential franchise quarterbacks, a bunch of teams who need a franchise quarterback, an increasing willingness to trade up and down the draft board and teams who have loaded up on various draft picks to make deals like that happen.
The one thing we shouldn't see is the Browns trading out of the top spot, but that doesn't mean there haven't been discussions about the possibility.