Trade rumors involving Browns wide receiver Josh Cribbs have are swirling.

League sources told Jason La Canfora of NFL.com that the Dolphins, Colts, Chiefs, Raiders, Jaguars and 49ers have shown interest.

A source told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that it is unlikely Cribbs will be traded.

Cribbs signed a six-year contract worth $6.77 million in 2007. Before this season he expressed interest in a new contract and threatened to sit out the season.

Cribbs, a special teams captain for Cleveland, currently leads the NFL with 522 kick-return yards and 260 punt-return yards. In five seasons with the Browns, Cribbs has had five special teams touchdowns.

He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2007 after leading the league in kick-return average at 30.7 yards per return.

As a receiver, Cribbs has struggled. In five games this season, including two starts, he has nine receptions for 39 yards and no touchdowns. Last season he had just two catches for 18 yards and a touchdown.

The NFL trading deadline is at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

The Browns traded receiver Braylon Edwards to the Jets on Oct. 7 for wide receiver Chansi Stuckey, linebacker Jason Trusnik and two draft picks.

Earlier in the week, speculation about the team trading backup quarterback Brady Quinn surfaced. Browns head coach Eric Mangini denied the rumors saying, "Brady and I have a good relationship, Brady and (offensive coordinator) Brian (Daboll) have a good relationship. He's focused on Pittsburgh."

Joe Thomas, one of six Browns captains.

Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas and running back Jamal Lewis were selected on offense, linebackers Eric Barton and D'Qwell Jackson on defense and Pro Bowl return specialist Josh Cribbs and kicker Phil Dawson on special teams.

Dawson was selected for the third consecutive year. The only other player remaining on the team who served last year was center Hank Fraley.

Mangini said the captains will serve as liasons between he and the players and will meet weekly.

"It's good to know my teammates respect me that much," Jackson said. "I take pride in what I do, have fun with it. It's a great honor and I have to live up to that responsibility.

"There's a sense of pride in yourself and a sense of pride to get guys doing what they may not want to do. I've been here through the ups and downs. It's up to me to carry the torch this year."

Thomas, a two-time Pro Bowler starting his third season in the league, said it was ''something I've been working towards, leading by example and with a voice in the locker room."

Thomas believes the captains will be very influential with Mangini.

"Coach Mangini is definitely open to criticism and praise and input from the captains and players," Thomas said. "I think it's going to be an important job for the captains to give him that input, both good and bad."

Lewis also seemed honored by his selection.

"Over the years I've been on teams with a lot of great captains, people who I sat in the room with and actually put their name down because I felt like, 'This is the guy who should actually be out front. Somebody I could talk to if I needed to talk to them, a leader in all aspects,"' Lewis said. "I look at it in the same way. The majority of the guys had that kind of confidence in me. The guys I chose, those are the guys I felt I could depend on."

Lewis, who won the Super Bowl in 2000 with the Baltimore Ravens, said leadership is an important ingredient for a championship team.

"You need leadership upstairs, the coaches and all that," Lewis said. "But at the same time, you have to have leadership in the work force. It plays a major role."

When Browns veterans report to training camp on July 31, expect to see specials team/experimental wide receiver Josh Cribbs in attendance.

Cribbs assured as much while on the air with Mark "Munch" Bishop of WKNR (AM-850) saying "No. 16 will be on the field, proudly." He said contract talks have not been furthered, but he's happy to have a job.

"I don't have the contract I would like, but nonetheless I have it better than others," he said.

Cribbs is in the first half a of a six-year, $6.77 million contract and wants it to be restructured. He's set to make a reasonable $690,000 this season.

Even as he's threatened to ask for a trade and skipped some "voluntary" workouts, he insists he wants to play for the Browns and will continue to work hard.

"I'm going to still play as hard as I can," he said. "I don't know any other way to play. I don't want to go anywhere else, I want to stay in Cleveland. I'm going to do everything I can physically and business-wise to stay in Cleveland because this is where I want to be. If something else happens, I don't think it's on me.

"I can't make every person understand my point of view and a lot of fans just don't understand the nature of football and the contract situations and everything. I'm just going to keep playing and I don't mind any fan express any point of view to me and I will respectfully converse with them. I want to see us win big and be a part of that when it happens. Hopefully that happens this year and I'm on that team."

You can listen to the entire interview here. The interview is about 20 minutes long, but worth the time. Cribbs talks some about his community involvement before getting into the contract situation.

What makes it so interesting is that Cribbs continually talks about wanting to play in Cleveland and being a hard worker. Moments later, though, he says that playing in the NFL was his dream, just not necessarily with the Browns.

He's clearly a conflicted player. It's hard to tell which is more important to him – the money or the opportunity. From the standpoint of a jaded Cleveland fan, it seems a little too much like the former.

The Waiting for Next Year guys take a look at Phil Dawson's holdout. They have a really good line in the item:

Judging by the lack of response to Dawson being MIA, I assume that fans feel that Josh Cribbs means a lot more to this team. But does he? Dawson converted 30 of his 36 attempts last season; he was 5-for-6 between the 40-49-yard range.

The question on who is more important between Cribbs and Dawson is an excellent one. I'm leaning toward saying Dawson is more important. Both are great special teams players, but someone like Cribbs might be more replaceable.

Browns special teams player Josh Cribbs plans on attending this week's minicamp, Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer is reporting.

Cribbs is in the first half a of a six-year, $6.77 million contract and wants it to be restructured. If its not, he said he would like to be traded.

Update from PFT:

Per a league source, the Browns indicated that, in order to address Cribbs’ contract, they need to examine first-hand his potential value to the team. And so, as a good-faith gesture, Cribbs has decided to participate in the voluntary sessions in order to give the new regime a fair opportunity to determine whether he’s worth significantly more than the long-term deal he signed in 2006. (Apparently, game film from 2007 and 2008 can’t be relied upon.)

That said, we’re sensing some skepticism in Cribbs’ camp regarding whether the Browns will show similar good faith in assessing his skills and deciding whether to increase his pay. And so there’s a chance that Cribbs’ stay will be a short one.

Notes…
There has been no indication either way on whether or not kicker Phil Dawson will attend this week. He also skipped the "voluntary" minicamp last week.

Terry Pluto of the PD had some excellent thoughts on Brady Quinn over the weekend.

A couple people emailed me Michael Silver's rant about the Browns from Yahoo Sports. I'll have some thoughts on that in a separate post later today or sometime tomorrow.

I wanted to spotlight a comment made by Mike Rasor, an Ohio.com blogging cohort. It's on the Cribbs situation. It's after the jump. Just something to think about. And make sure to always check out his Zips blog.

Paying laborers and paying professional athletes under a salary cap are two different things. Randy Lerner is not trying to be stingy; he wants money to put together a team. You can deal fairly with people without compromising your cap.

Cribbs signed a bad contract. He should have realized that from Day One. He underperforms and he's cut. He overperforms and he's trapped for six years. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Now he wants a do-over. If he can maintain his level of play, someone will compensate him for it once he's a free agent.

Cribbs is saying, "You went back on your promise." Well, Josh. You said you would play football for the Cleveland Browns for six years. The Cleveland Browns, in turn, promised to pay you $620K per year. Who is breaking that promise — you know, the one that gave you a chance in the NFL?

The latest word out of Berea is that if Josh Cribbs isn't given a new contract he'll ask for a trade.

No surprise. That's how contract negotiations in professional sports work. However, when you start thinking more about the latest Browns nightmare, it's apparent how much the franchise has sunken.

Cribbs is an incredible special teams player. He has the ability to give the offense a new wrinkle. He's supposed to play on defense this year at strong safety or nickel cornerback. Heck, on the surface, he seems like a good guy who works hard.

But when you get right down to the facts, Cribbs is just a guy who excels on special teams. He flashes the ability to do more, but right now he's completely unproven as anything else.

So should Cribbs be in a position to ask for big-time money? Everyone would probably agree that the $620,000 Cribbs is scheduled to make in 2009 is a deal (relatively speaking). But what is the right number? Certainly it's not four years and $40 million like Devin Hester received from Chicago.

More importantly, should a special teams stalwart set contract renegotiation precedent for new regime?

Browns special teams ace Josh Cribbs is expected to skip (in)voluntary full-team minicamps beginning Tuesday. That is according to John Taylor of the Orange & Brown Report.

Cribbs' displeasure stems from the team not restructuring his contract after telling him all offseason it would be redone. Cribbs is set to make $620,000 in 2009, $635,000 in 2010, $650,000 in 2011, and $790,000 in 2012. Those numbers are from a six-year contract Cribbs signed prior to the 2007 season.

Mary Kay-Cabot of the Plain Dealer reports that Cribbs wants a deal similar to the Bears' Devin Hester. Last year he signed a four-year, $40 million with $15 million guaranteed.

While Cribbs has become the better special teams player, Hester caught 51 passes for 665 yards last season. Cribbs caught just two passes for 18 yards in 2008. He did figure in Cleveland's "Wildcat" scheme and rushed for 167 yards on 29 attempts. Cribbs, a good tackler on special teams, is also getting some consideration to play defense for the Browns this season.

Update – The Browns issued the following statement earlier:

Contrary to published reports this morning, no one from the current Browns organization, including Owner Randy Lerner, has ever made any promises to Josh Cribbs with regard to his contract status.

On the prospects of Joshua Cribbs seeing time at quarterback, here is what Derek Anderson had to say:

"We're not putting Josh in. You guys [must be] on crack, smoking crack. [Just] because we're playing bad doesn't mean we're going to put a receiver at quarterback."

Well, that was certainly an odd thing to say. First, Cribbs maybe shouldn't be considered a receiver at all. He only has two catches this year. He's just a football player.

Second, those crackhead reporters should pass the rock to Rob Chudzinski and Romeo Crennel then. What else do the Browns have to lose? More games? That's going to happen anyway. A reputation? That's gone already.

Maybe with Cribbs at quarterback, the fans have something to have fun with. Or the team could find a gadget play to use next year with Cribbs at quarterback. Because, let's face it, when Cribbs has been lining up at quarterback in Wildcat formations, it hasn't really worked.

Travis & Travis sounds like a law firm.

It's not, but two players who share that name – Travis Thomas and Travis Wilson – may actually make contributions to the Browns this year.  I mentioned Thomas in my post earlier today.

Wilson has been drawing a lot of attention because the former third round draft pick out of Oklahoma looks to be living up to the potential that the Browns saw in him when they took him in the '06 draft.  Like Thomas, Wilson continues to impress with his consistency in camp.  He snared several passes in the evening practice.  That hasn't been the problem throughout his career, however. Catching them consistently has been.

A situation exists in on this team that the third receiver role is wide open and it's anyone's for the taking.  Josh Cribbs has had little problem believing he's up to the task.  Yet, it's Wilson who continues to catch the attention of fans and the assembled media.

If Kellen Winslow plays in games the way he is during training camp, opposing linebackers and DBs will be in trouble.  Winslow caught several balls this evening and looked unstoppable on runs after those catches.  His potential backup, fourth-round choice Martin Rucker, also got in the act looking good on one reception.

The big question on the defensive side of the ball very well may be who is Alex Hall is.  Should you make it to training camp, play close attention.  The linebacker defensed several passes like a veteran.

Today felt like a pro football training camp – hot, sticky and a sun beating down so ferociously you felt as if you were the main dish at a Thanksgiving Day turkey dinner – and that's just how I felt.

But that sizzling, sultry air the Browns looked to get some serious work done.

Offensively, observers couldn't help but notice a package of plays that that unity worked on that revolved around kick returner-wide receiver and former Kent State Golden Flash, Joshua Cribbs.

They showed a number of plays that had Cribbs taking a direct snap, running an option and throwing the ball.  While Rob Chudzinski's offense flashed a little of this last season, Cribbs said after practice that they are looking to implementing it more this year.  He suggested that it will go a long way toward helping to keep opposing teams off balance defensively.

 Indeed, that would add some more wrinkles to the Browns' O, but what that unit really needs is for Cribbs, or another receiver, to step up and claim the No. 3 spot in that corps.  With Joe Jurevicius out until at least the start of the season, the Browns will need someone with soft hands to fill that role.  Cribbs, should he develop some consistency (he dropped a couple of balls in practice Tuesday), could fill that spot.

From what I've seen in the practices I've been to thus far, the offensive line possesses the potential to be dominating.  Courtesy of explosion off the ball, the O-line opened holes for all of the running backs to waltz through.  Jamal Lewis showed an impressive mix of power and speed.  Jerome Harrison showed some breakaway speed as did Jason Wright.  Rookie free agent Travis Thomas (Notre Dame) made the most of his limited opportunities.

Defensively, Brandon McDonald, the second-year cornerback who made Leigh Bodden expendable in the off season blanketed almost every receiver he covered and Mike Adams grabbed an interception off a pass tipped by wide receiver Travis Wilson.  Although they're not allowed to touch the quarterbacks, on some plays it was obvious that the defensive line at bare minimum would have forced a bad pass.