Someone Might Trade For Edwards Without A New Contract

It has been presumed that anyone interested in trading for Browns receiver Braylon Edwards faces two hurdles -- working out a deal with the Browns, and negotiating a long-term contract with Edwards. But there’s now chatter that perhaps a team will trade for Edwards without signing him to a new contract. The wildcard would be the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Without an extension to the CBA, there will be no salary cap in 2010. And without a salary cap in 2010, a player with fewer than six years of service won’t be an unrestricted free agent next March. So Edwards, who is entering his fifth NFL season, would be a restricted free agent. And the team that holds his rights will be able to retain his rights for 110 percent of his 2009 cap number, which as we understand it is in the range of $5 million. That’s far lower than the franchise number for receivers, which likely will exceed $10 million. And by applying the highest possible RFA tender, the team that sends a first-round pick and a third-round pick to the Browns for Edwards now could get the first-round pick and the third-round pick back from another team if another team tries to sign him to an offer sheet.