Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com writes Friday: "When Weeden was drafted, I was told by an NFL source that the Browns didnât want to 'pile on' McCoy and just release him. They were sensitive to the fact he had gotten such a raw deal already."
Mike Holmgren talked about that "raw deal" on Thursday.
"I think (Colt's) a wonderful young man, and a good football player," Holmgren said. "And if you are asking me to say was it fair last year? He had a tough go and he didnât get as much help as I thought he was going to get. But heck, thatâs football.â
Translation: Thanks for trying. It wasn't enough.
"They would like to find McCoy a new team, a new opportunity, to spare him the ignominy of being released. They will not demand much in a trade," Grossi writes.
A conditional late-round pick would probably get it done. We'd be on that happening. The Browns are trying to do McCoy a favor, but it doesn't do the 2012 Browns much of a favor to have this story drag out through August.
UPDATE: NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah reported Saturday the Browns are asking for little in return for McCoy.