Shedeur Sanders
Getty
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
The Cleveland Browns have a hard time bringing in quarterback talent, so when the NFL draft doesn’t offer an ideal option, a strong trade package is typically the best bet of a quality acquisition.
Cleveland is in that mode with nine days remaining until the new league year, as Shedeur Sanders entered the offseason as a precarious QB1 in the Browns’ building following seven starts to finish the 2025 campaign.
Zac Jackson of The Athletic wrote on Monday, March 2 that fans should expect the team to pursue high-ceiling competition for Sanders and veteran Deshaun Watson this month, which includes the aggressive pursuit of Indianapolis Colts signal-caller Anthony Richardson via a trade.
“Watson hasn’t played since October 2024 and is entering the last year of his huge contract, and the team still believes Sanders has a long way to go,” Jackson wrote. “Expect the Browns to at least explore a run at Malik Willis in free agency or to seriously consider a trade for Anthony Richardson that would pit Sanders vs. Richardson in a competition for the starting job while the team’s longer-term plans remain open.”
Browns Can Deal for Anthony Richardson at Low Financial, Trade Costs
GettyQuarterback Anthony Richardson of the Indianapolis Colts.
Richardson is heading into his fourth season, the final on his $34 million rookie contract. However, his base salary compensation plus his roster bonus total less than $5.4 million, which is the price Cleveland would need to absorb if it traded for him.
As far as the trade cost itself, the Browns could do equally well based on a report from Jason LaCanfora of SportsBoom Monday.
“When pressed on what he would be willing to give up if he believed he had more time to develop Richardson, the GM said he thought maybe the Colts could get a fifth-round pick for him,” Canfora wrote, citing an unnamed general manager.
A fifth-rounder is what Cleveland spent to acquire Sanders in last year’s draft and is a minimal price to play for a flier on a quarterback with elite athletic traits in Richardson.
Malik Willis Unlikely to Choose Cleveland, Could Price Browns Out in Free Agency
Malik Willis Green Bay Packers Miami Dolphins
GettyQuarterback Malik Willis of the Green Bay Packers.
Willis is a less likely option in Cleveland for two reasons: his projected financial cost and his own agency in where he ends up playing in 2026 and beyond.
The Browns have always struggled to attract free agents, which is why they paid $230 million in fully guaranteed money to Watson four years ago despite his off-field legal issues and sitting out the entire 2021 campaign in Houston.
Spotrac projects Willis to earn $35.5 million annually over a new two-year contract, and Cleveland might have to offer a premium in salary and overall years beyond that just to get into the conversation.
Willis has ties to the new GM and head coach of the Miami Dolphins, both of whom came from the Green Bay Packers organization this offseason, and Miami has the distinct advantage of being a warm-weather, beach-side market without any state income tax. And that’s just one of Willis’s options as the presumptive top free-agent quarterback on the market.
Richardson is the type of one-year swing that makes sense, particularly with a rebuilding offense that may end up replacing all five linemen and also desperately needs to add talent in the wide receiver room. On the other hand, that’s not an ideal situation for a QB like Willis who is on the rise and about to get his first real crack at a starting job.