Before the Cardinals worked out a restructured contract with Larry Fitzgerald last month, the Browns made an attempt to trade for the veteran receiver, a league source tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).
Fitzgerald’s production has fallen off a little during the last three years, as he has averaged only about 72 catches and 845 yards per season from 2012 to 2014, compared to averages of close to 93 receptions and 1,296 yards in the five-year span from 2007 to 2011. Still, he would have been an upgrade for a Browns team that will be without Josh Gordon for the coming season and hadn’t added Brian Hartline in free agency at that point.
With Fitzgerald back in Arizona on a reworked contract, the Browns are looking elsewhere for potential veteran wideouts. Dwayne Bowe has paid a visit to Cleveland, and Stevie Johnson has also been identified as a possible target for the team. While Hartline is now in the mix, the Browns also lost Jordan Cameron in free agency, so they’ll need to add pass catchers to help out Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel, or whichever quarterback might be leading the club’s offense in 2015.