Browns coach Mike Pettine hasn’t given up on Johnny Manziel, but he also hasn’t ruled out trading up for Marcus Mariota.

Are the Browns still open to the possibility?

“Sure, why not?” he answered with a big grin on his face.

But was he joking? Or will the Browns really make a pitch for the Heisman Trophy winner with their No. 12 and No. 19 picks? Afterall, their quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell spent months working with him prior to the NFL combine and knows him almost as well as anyone.

The Browns loved Mariota last year and wished he had come out when they had the No. 4 overall pick. If O’Connell gives him the thumbs up, there’d be no reason for the Browns not to try to land him in a year when they have the ammunition to do it. They might have to climb all the way to No. 2, but they’re expected to at least explore a draft day trade.

“I think everybody’s at the point where all the teams call around,” said Pettine after an offseason workout. “They call each other. Everybody says, ‘Hey, we’re looking to trade up. We’re looking to trade down.’ You never truly know until you get close. People naturally assume that we can be a part of it because of having the extra pick, maybe having a little bit more ammunition than some other teams would. It just makes for good filler material for you guys, good draft talk.”

via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com