Under owner Jimmy Haslam, the Browns have become very active when it comes to making trades. And since they nearly traded in 2014 for a head coach, why not trade the entire franchise?
Via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, a Browns spokesman has flatly denied a report from Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports that Haslam could potentially trade the Browns for the Titans.
“It’s 100% false,” the spokesman said. “There is no truth to the careless speculation from the reporter.”
With all due respect to the Browns, it feels like a lot more than “careless speculation” from La Canfora. For years, Haslam was believed to be one of the candidates to purchase the Titans, if/when the late Bud Adams or his estate ever opted to sell. Instead of waiting for the Titans to become available, Haslam opted to pounce on the Browns, selling a double-digit interest in the Steelers in order to acquire the Cleveland franchise.
Haslam didn’t buy the Browns because he wanted to buy the Browns. He bought the Browns because he wanted to own and operate an NFL team. If there were a way for Haslam to parlay his ownership of the Browns into the ownership of another franchise (like the one in his home state of Tennessee) why wouldn’t he consider it?
It wouldn’t be the first time NFL owners traded franchises. In the 1970s, Carroll Rosenbloom traded the Colts to Robert Irsay for the Rams. In this specific case, someone more interested in owning the Browns than owning the Titans would have to buy the Titans and trade the franchise to Haslam for the Browns.
The chances of another franchise swap are undoubtedly slim. But it would be naive to assume Haslam wouldn’t jump at the chance to get the team he would have bought instead of the Browns, if that team were also available when he bought the Browns.
It also would be naive to assume that the Browns would say anything other than the suggestion of a franchise swap is false unless and until it becomes something that definitely will happen.