Cleveland Browns Edwards was selected in the first round (third overall) in the
2005 NFL draft by the
Cleveland Browns. Edwards began his rookie season as Cleveland's third wide receiver—a holdout caused him to miss the beginning of training camp. Early in the season, Edwards revealed that he had a
staph infection and missed a few weeks as a result. He moved into the starting lineup by midseason. He made his NFL debut versus the
Cincinnati Bengals on September 11 and caught his first NFL touchdown at the
Green Bay Packers on September 18. He amassed 512 receiving yards and three touchdowns before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Edwards had surgery in the offseason, and, while rehabilitating, bonded with
Kellen Winslow II. Both were determined to make a full and speedy recovery. Edwards, like Winslow, had a successful rehabilitation, enabling him to be ready to play in the team's opening game in 2006. Edwards became the top receiver for the Browns after an injury to
Joe Jurevicius that season. Edwards totaled 61 receptions for 884 yards and six touchdowns on the season. At the end of the season, Edwards announced he would donate $500,000 to the
University of Michigan to establish a scholarship endowment for football players. Edwards also had an altercation with
Charlie Frye on the sidelines of a game in 2006. He said, "And they're talking about video games." Edwards continued to make headlines that season when he called out
Mike Minter,
Chris Gamble,
Ricky Manning, and other defensive backs of the
Carolina Panthers. Additionally, he attended the annual
Michigan-Ohio State rivalry game despite being advised by several veteran captains not to go. Edwards was late getting back from Columbus and was late to a team meeting. Edwards had a breakout season in 2007 and made his first
Pro Bowl, becoming the first Browns receiver to make the Pro Bowl since
Webster Slaughter in
1989. Edwards broke franchise records for receiving yardage with 1,289 receiving yards compared to Slaughter's record of 1,236 in 1989 and receiving touchdowns with 16 compared to
Gary Collins's 13 in
1963. Edwards' 16 touchdowns were also second in the league behind only
Randy Moss, who set an NFL record with 23 touchdowns. Edwards publicly made a bet with
Michael Phelps that he would catch 17 touchdowns in 2008. However, Edwards and the Browns struggled during the entire year. The Browns finished at 4–12, and Braylon led the NFL in dropped passes with 23. He caught only three touchdown passes.
New York Jets (first stint) On October 7, 2009, Edwards was traded to the
New York Jets for wide receiver
Chansi Stuckey, linebacker
Jason Trusnik, and a third and fifth round draft pick in the
2010 NFL draft. Edwards cited a need for a "fresh start" following the deal's completion. In 12 games for New York, Braylon had 35 catches for 541 yards and four touchdowns. Braylon had his first taste of the postseason in the
2009–10 NFL playoffs. In the Jets' first two games, Braylon only had four catches for 56 yards, but in the
AFC Championship against the
Indianapolis Colts, Braylon caught an 80-yard touchdown pass to give the Jets their first points of the game. He finished the game with two catches for 100 yards and a touchdown as the Jets lost 30–17. Edwards remained with the
New York Jets in 2010, catching 53 passes for 904 yards and seven touchdowns.
San Francisco 49ers On August 4, 2011, Edwards signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the
San Francisco 49ers. The contract would have increased to $3.5 million had Edwards recorded a 90-yard catch or a Pro Bowl season. He started five games and was waived by the 49ers on December 27 without having achieved either incentive.
Seattle Seahawks On July 31, 2012, Edwards signed a one-year contract with the
Seattle Seahawks. On December 4, he was waived by the Seahawks.
New York Jets (second stint) Edwards was claimed off waivers by the Jets on December 11, 2012. On July 25, 2013, Edwards re-signed with the Jets on a one-year contract with the Jets. He was waived by New York as a part of the team's final roster cuts on August 26. ==Career statistics==