Imagine that for five and you've got the contract he'll need to sign here. Albeit, not 100% of his guaranteed. Stafford is getting $27 million a year, $18.4 (68.1 percent) guaranteed. Cousins is set to break that with the tag, which is 120-percent of his 2017 earnings. So using that as the starting point for contract negotiations, a team bidding for his services is looking at market value: $29/$20 (yearly/guaranteed). A five-year deal is going to run $145 million with $100 guaranteed. That could be potentially crippling to a franchise as it starts to enter the need to resign rookies coming off their deals (2016 would be up in 2020). The Browns, coming off an 0-16 season and with Hue Jackson at the helm will need to pay a premium for those services. If a team like Denver, Buffalo, or Pittsburgh want to get in on the sweepstakes, they can sell Cousins on a championship-level defense or offensive weapons to play with. The Browns have neither. Realistically, it'll take 10-20 percent more for Cleveland to land him. In which case, a 5-year, $167 million ($115 million guaranteed) would probably be the landing point. The Browns' entire cap hit for 2017 was $156 million. Excluding dead cap monies, $109.6 million. #HardPass
Re: Wide Receivers This all goes out the window if Josh Gordon burns up a test, but with Coleman and Gordon as the boundary guys, the target the Browns really need at the position isn't a No. 1 or No. 2 guy, but an elite slot receiver. They need someone with top-end route running skills and the ability to create separation. With more reps, the light may come on for Coleman and if clean - and given a better QB which I believe we're all assuming to happen - Gordon is Top 3. The underneath stuff is really missing. Right now, it's Rashard Higgins filling that role. He's a polished route runner but just a sub-par athlete. What's interesting is that this position is actually super deep in the draft. James Washington, Anthony Miller, and Trey Quinn would be premier options. Miller actually looks plug-and-play in that role and probably costs a late second round pick (lower ceiling, specific skill set pushes value down). Look at Stefon Diggs or Cooper Kupp (who I wanted the Browns to take last year) in Minnesota and Los Angeles respectively. Both do an incredible amount of damage from the slot, including leading their teams in receiving.
Watching this OSU/USC Cotton Bowl... Sam Darnold is a taller, slightly-heavier Mayfield with a less-impressive arm. Very, very much the same prospect as Blaine Ganbert. Ronald Jones has been a guy I've liked for a while and mocked to the Browns. Haven’t seen anything yet to make me change my mind. As much as I’ve tried to avoid it, I *really* like Jerome Baker. Browns never seem to draft Buckeyes but speed at the LB spot is a need and if he’s there at Philly’s second pick, I make the easy call. Nick Bosa would be a Top 3 pick this draft... if he were eligible.
LMAO I think I know who is next on your Ignore list. I can't say with 100% certainty because I don't see those worthless posts either. #IgnoreIsABeautifulThing
The Steelers love their Buckeyes and it appears our speed LB might never play again. I could see a Baker / Pittsburgh marriage.
True, but wouldn't it be amazing if the stars aligned like they did in 2012 and we caught a falling Roquan Smith?
Actually it's $34.4M, the transition tag would cost them $29M, but then another team could sign him with the Redskins getting no compensation back in return.
I'm with you Lym..If I thought it was possible, I would say go all in. Something tells me Cousins will have a better offer with a team that hasn't been as desolate as the Browns for the past two decades and that will persuade him.
Crazy Crextin’s Mad musings: Where do we go from here? Identify key veteran FAs that would help this team. WE can agree that QB is the biggest position that needs fixed. A lot of talk has surrounded Cousins and Smith, I can get onboard with smith easier than I can cousins. Smith would be more of a temp veteran to lead this team while the Rookie takes a seat and learns the game. The cost to obtain cousins is not what bugs me. I just don’t see cousins taking the Browns very deep into the post season if at all. I am interested to see how things shake up in Minnesota after this season. I wouldn’t mind having Bridgewater or Keenum come in and see what they could do. Bradford is the odd duck out here, but would probably make for a good “Bridge” QB providing that Ramsey can put some talent in the WR position and allow for growth there. In the draft. I’m not sold on any of the young guns coming out yet. OF the big three I’ve watched Rosen, Darnold and Mayfield… Rosen- supposedly the cream of the crop. Turnovers, reading Defenses, and that it is reported that he doesn’t get along with his team. Darnold – supposedly the #2 guy on the list and even more prone to turnovers than Rosen. Mayfiled – Scares me because everyone here that liked Johnny Fuckup likes this guy. Don’t want to go through that again. Beyond that there are a few glaring holes that need to be filled and the Browns have the ammo to draft for depth as well. I guess we’ll see how the off season starts to shake out in the next few weeks. QB, WR, DB, LB are all positions of need and depth.
The comparison of Manziel and Mayfield doesn’t hold water. Their height and moxy are about the only similarities. Neither of those were his downfall. I was against drafting Manziel from word one because of his known Douchbaggery. I think even the Manzealot himself saw the danger there. Manziel had the skill set that we needed at the time, and he played with a big set of brass balls. I could see the draw, but character put me way off of him. Let’s talk character for a minute, it turns out that it’s kinda important. Rosen’s teammates don’t like him. Why? Mayfield’s teammates rave about him. Why? Those are the only two that I think are really worthy of either of our #1’s. As long as we don’t use the #22 overall on a QB, I’ll feel better. That pick is cursed for us. Quinn, Weeden, Manziel.
Anyone tuning in today to see if we avoid 0-16 against a bunch of guys trying to earn a varsity letter for Pittsburgh? There were several players on offense that quit last week against Chicago, Crowell chiefly among them. What's the motivation - especially for a guy like Isaiah who'll likely leave at the first chance he gets? I expect the defense to play had, as Williams has a better pull with his staff, but they're missing key starters and are going to be gassed by the fourth or fifth series. The fact that multiple reports have come out now stating that Hue Jackson will be back for 2018 should be all the reason this team needs to quit. Not sure how anyone could get psyched up to play for the worst coach in the history of the NFL.
I couldn't agree more...Wth is wrong with Haslam? Is he THAT freaked out about what everybody thinks of him? It's okay to make another change if the guy you are firing is the worst of all time...It feels like Jimmy H is just holding onto Hue because he's desperately grasping for some stability. There's no doubt if we are stuck with Hue Jackson, for yet another year, it casts a shadow over everything. It's hard to get excited about the rookie crop of QB's just knowing that Hue will still be heavily involved. I hate that these kids don't want to come here, but I understand it. The factory keeps pumping the sadness out, and the agony continues for Browns fans.
But yeah...I'm hoping for a win today. In fifty years, nobody will question whether Pittsburgh put their best foot forward or not. It'll just be a 1-15 record for Cleveland, and Detroit will keep that record for themselves....
Okay. If you guys want to wallow away in self pity . . . Go for it. You want to tar and feather the guy who was given THE youngest roster in the NFL including three QB's who couldn't play their way out of a bounce house and then gave him the worst WR corp in the NFL . . . Go for it. But, you will go for it without me.
