BEREA — Cleveland president Mike Holmgren’s first trade didn’t involve a player or draft choice.

The Browns and Miami Dolphins swapped vice presidents Monday, as Holmgren hired Matt Thomas as vice president of football administration, and Dawn Aponte – Thomas’ predecessor — accepted the role of senior vice president of football operations with the Dolphins.

Aponte, one of the most powerful women in the league, was hired by coach Eric Mangini out of the NFL office in New York last year. She took on a greater role with the Browns after general manager George Kokinis was fired at midseason, including negotiating with the agents for Joshua Cribbs, who wants his contract redone.

When Aponte gave the agents a take-it-or-leave-it offer at the end of the season, the agents took their protest to the media. Holmgren, who was in his first days on the job, quickly said there’s no such thing as a take-it-or-leave-it offer in today’s NFL and called the representatives to wipe the slate clean.

Thomas is expected to assume the negotiating duties, which he held in Miami. Thomas spent the last 12 years with the Dolphins as vice president of general counsel and football administration, assisting with the salary cap, budgeting and working with the NFL Management Council on labor and legal matters.

Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.

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