Indications are the Cleveland Browns would have taken Cam Ward at No. 2 overall
We know the Tennessee Titans rejected a lucrative offer from the New York Giants in exchange for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. By that point, the Titans had fallen in love with Cam Ward, and as GM Mike Borgonzi allegedly put it, “there is no price for a franchise quarterback.”
Before the Titans officially announced the Ward selection, the Cleveland Browns traded out of the No. 2 overall selection, flipping the pick (alongside fourth-and-sixth-round selections) to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for first-, second- and fourth-round selections (5th, 36th and 126th overall) and a 2026 first-round pick.
By all accounts, the Jaguars massively overpaid as the Browns were rewarded with a massive haul. The offer was good enough to convince Cleveland to trade out of the Travis Hunter spot.
It left me wondering, would the Browns have accepted a similar offer had Ward been on the board? We apparently have an answer to that question.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini recently released an in-depth article chronicling the Jaguars and Browns trade. Buried deep in the notes, Russini essentially claims the Browns would have stayed put and drafted Ward at No. 2 overall.
“Had the Titans somehow pivoted and taken another player, or traded the pick to a team that [took another player], the Browns would have called off the [Jaguars] deal and taken Ward,” Russini writes.
“If Thursday night was James Gladstone’s chance to make a splash, Friday was his first venture into the deep end.”
Incredible coverage from @MikeSilver, who was embedded with the Jaguars and had exclusive war room access in Jacksonville ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/CRZ6l0GY7d
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) April 29, 2025
The Titans were criticized for selecting Ward at No. 1 overall in a perceived “weak” quarterback class. We learned the Titans became infatuated with Ward as a prospect/person throughout the process. The Giants’ aggressive trade-up attempt from No. 3 was public knowledge. We also know the Browns would have drafted the quarterback at No. 2 overall.
All three franchises within the top three would have selected Ward to be their quarterback. The Titans are incredibly fortunate they possessed that opportunity. The league-wide consensus clearly believes Ward is a high-end franchise QB.