Browns Trade Pitch Flips $56.8 Million Star for Draft Pick in Cap-Saving Move

The Cleveland Browns are on the brink of a lost season, and if they can’t turn things around over the next two to three weeks then a fire-sale may be in order.

Cleveland can likely move some of its bigger salaries, including that of currently injured right guard Wyatt Teller, if the team decides to sell ahead of the league’s November 5 trade deadline. And one potentially interested party is the Chicago Bears.

Chicago has surrendered 17 sacks through five games this season and battled poor play as well as injury questions at right guard. Bears general manager Ryan Poles is apparently scanning teams likely to be sellers with four weeks of games yet to play before the NFL freezes all swaps until next spring, which could bring Teller — the three-time Pro Bowler — into the mix for Chicago.

“Poles is monitoring players from the Browns, the [New England] Patriots and the [Los Angeles] Rams to see what they do with all those teams being, I believe, 1-4 on the season so far,” Haize, a Bears podcaster featured on Bleacher Report, said Friday, October 11. “Wyatt Teller, who has injury concerns … also has a [$22] million cap hit next season, so you got those things to look at. But outside of those things, one of the things as well with Wyatt Teller is that when he is healthy, he’s a Pro Bowler. And, reportedly, [the Bears can acquire him] for a Day 3 pick in the NFL draft.”

Browns Unlikely to Sell on Wyatt Teller for Multiple Weeks

GettyOffensive guard Wyatt Teller of the Cleveland Browns.

If Cleveland ends up moving Teller, it probably won’t be for at least a couple of weeks.

Firstly, the Browns placed Teller on the injured reserve list (IR) with a knee injury he suffered against the New York Giants in Week 3. His designation means he must sit out at least the next two games and can’t return to action before the Browns host the Baltimore Ravens on October 27.

Teller is in the third season of a four-year contract worth $56.8 million, which is one reason the salary cap-strapped Browns might be interested in moving the 29-year-old ahead of the 2025 campaign. However, even at a base salary of $1.5 million, Chicago isn’t going to be interested in picking up the tab for Teller’s next couple of game checks while he’s sidelined with a bad knee.

Cleveland is in its current financial situation, which isn’t rosy for multiple years into the future, because the Browns spent all of their money trying to win in the immediate. The team made the playoffs last year before the Houston Texans bounced them on Wildcard Weekend in embarrassing fashion.

Despite being 1-4, Cleveland is likely to try and salvage its season in the coming two or three weeks. The Browns’ O-Line has been one of the few in the league clearly more inept than Chicago’s across the first five games, surrendering a league-leading 26 sacks.

The potential return of multiple starters on the offensive line, as well as running back Nick Chubb, in the coming weeks offers the Browns a glimmer of hope that perhaps they can catch lightning in a bottle and turn their year around.

Bears Should Be Motivated Buyers on O-Line, but Browns May Still Only Command Late-Round Pick for Wyatt Teller

GettyCleveland Browns offensive guard Wyatt Teller (left) celebrates a TD with running back Nick Chubb (right).

All that said, it isn’t likely Cleveland can play its way back into any sort of contention.

If the Browns hold a record of 2-7 or 3-6 following their Week 9 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on November 3, they may decide to move off Teller’s contract. And in that case, a Day 3 pick from Chicago next year might prove worth a deal when coupled with the accompanying cap relief.

The Bears, meanwhile, will be entering the teeth of one of the toughest remaining schedules in the NFL following Week 9. Chicago plays New England on November 10 and then finishes the season with eight consecutive games against teams that are currently .500 or above.

In all likelihood, the Bears will need to improve the offensive line to compete down the stretch, and Teller has been a Pro Bowler in each of the past three seasons. Chicago has the space next year to absorb his cap hit, and the fit makes sense for the Bears if Teller can get healthy and remain that way.

The Browns would probably like to get more for Teller, but at 29 years old and dealing with an injury that currently has him on IR — plus the financial favor the Bears would be doing for Cleveland in assuming Teller’s cap hit for 2025 — it’s unlikely Cleveland can command better than a Day 3 pick for its Pro Bowl right guard.