Tampa Bay acquired Kellen Winslow from Cleveland for a 2009…
Tampa Bay acquired Kellen Winslow from Cleveland for a 2009 second-round pick and a 2010 fifth-rounder. Winslow immediately set a Buccaneers single-season record for a tight end and produced 218 catches, 2,377 yards and 12 touchdowns over three seasons. Cleveland used the second-rounder on Mohamed Massaquoi and later moved the fifth-round pick, creating useful but less impactful value than Tampa received.
Cleveland Browns Received
- pick 2009 2nd round pick (50th overall, Mohamed Massaquoi)
- pick 2010 5th round pick (134th overall subsequently traded, Ricky Sapp)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Received
- player Kellen Winslow
Trade Analysis
Tampa Bay's first major move under a new football operation in 2009 was to trade for Kellen Winslow, a gifted tight end whose Cleveland tenure had mixed elite receiving flashes with injuries and controversy. The Buccaneers sent the 50th pick in the 2009 draft and a fifth-round selection in 2010. They then gave Winslow a long-term contract, signaling that this was intended as a foundational offensive addition rather than a short rental.
Winslow delivered immediate production. He set a franchise record for receptions by a Buccaneers tight end in his first season and remained one of the offense's primary targets as Josh Freeman developed. Across three Tampa Bay seasons, Winslow caught 218 passes for 2,377 yards and 12 touchdowns while playing all 48 regular-season games. He was not quite the transcendent player his draft pedigree once suggested, but the Buccaneers received durable, high-volume receiving value at a position that had lacked it.
Cleveland's return was more modest but not empty. The Browns used the 50th pick on Mohamed Massaquoi, who started regularly and produced 118 catches for 1,745 yards over four Cleveland seasons. The second asset was Tampa Bay's 2010 fifth-rounder, No. 134, which Cleveland later moved in another draft trade and which ultimately became Ricky Sapp. The previous record incorrectly attached a 2009 sixth-rounder to this transaction; the actual compensation was the 2009 second and 2010 fifth.
The trade therefore worked reasonably for both sides. Cleveland obtained a starting receiver and extra flexibility for a player it was prepared to move, while Tampa Bay received three full seasons of productive tight-end play. Winslow's immediate impact gives the Buccaneers a B, with Cleveland at C+. Tampa Bay wins narrowly rather than overwhelmingly.