Browns head of football operations Sashi Brown received backlash last year after he declared “it is important for us to keep our own,” then let four key starters leave the franchise on the first day of free agency.
Brown is off to a much better start this year.
The Browns announced Monday they agreed to a blockbuster contract with Jamie Collins, securing a versatile linebacker the organization believes can be a vital piece to the defense led by new coordinator Gregg Williams.
Collins agreed to a four-year contract worth $50 million, including $26 million guaranteed.
Expected to play outside linebacker in the 4-3 base defense Williams uses, Collins is the fourth-highest paid linebacker in the NFL with an average annual salary of $12.5 million. The top three are the Denver Broncos’ Von Miller ($19 million a year), the Kansas City Chiefs’ Justin Houston ($16.8 million) and the Green Bay Packers’ Clay Matthews ($13.2 million). He’ll make more than Carolina Panthers four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Luke Kuechly ($12.3 million).
Collins, a 2015 Pro Bowl selection, had been scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on March 9 until the Browns locked him into a new contract through the 2020 season.
Collins, 27, started all eight games for the Browns after they acquired him Oct. 31 by trading what’s expected to be a third-round compensatory pick in April’s draft to the New England Patriots. His 69 tackles with the Browns ranked third on the team. He also had two sacks and a forced fumble. Coaches and teammates praised his ability, intelligence and practice habits.
He won’t be the next talented player to walk out the door the way center Alex Mack, right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, wide receiver Travis Benjamin and safety Tashaun Gipson did last year when free agency opened.
“We are going to be aggressive about acquiring talent, and when we had the opportunity to trade for Jamie back in October, it was done with the intent of him becoming a long-term part of our defense,” Brown said in a news release. “Jamie has shown throughout his NFL career that he is a very talented player with a rare skill set that allows him to impact games in a number of ways.
“He’s a versatile, smart, competitive and physical football player who has experienced winning at the highest level. Jamie was great to have in our building this season, and we look forward to him being a Cleveland Brown for a number of years to come. We are counting on him to be a big part of us becoming a winning team.”
Because Collins was selected by a perennial contender in the second round of the 2013 draft and went to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons with the Patriots, winning the Super Bowl in his second one, many observers questioned whether he would want to re-sign with a rebuilding franchise like Browns. After all, they set a franchise record for losses in a season by going 1-15 in 2016.
Money talks, though. The Browns have deep pockets and obviously offered Collins enough to dissuade him from testing the waters of free agency. They carried over a league-high $50,123,269 into the 2017 season and have more salary-cap space than any other team, according to the NFL Players Association.
“I want to thank the Cleveland Browns organization for giving me this opportunity,” Collins said in the release. “From the day I walked in the door, I felt welcomed by my new teammates and everyone in this organization. The past is the past as far as last season’s record, but today is a new day. I’m only looking forward.
“I know we have a lot of work to do, and with Coach Hue [Jackson] leading us and the front office bringing in talent, I feel like we are going to get there, and I feel good about continuing my career here.”
Collins met with Jackson, Williams and other members of the coaching staff Monday at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. The team tweeted a photograph of the rendezvous.
“It’s no secret how I feel about Jamie Collins,” Jackson said in the release. “He’s an outstanding football player and a guy we think can be part of the foundation of a tremendous defense. I was excited when we were able to trade for him last season, and now, I’m even more excited knowing that he is going to part of our future.
“We all know we have a lot of work to do to get our team where we feel it needs to be. Jamie wants to be a part of that. He wants to help build this team for success. He was outstanding in our locker room last year because he’s seen what success in the NFL looks like and our players respect the way he carries himself. We are all looking forward to him being a part of the success we plan to earn through our hard work and preparation.”
With no need to use a franchise tag on Collins, the Browns could place it on impending free-agent wide receiver Terrelle Pryor to prevent him from hitting the open market with a one-year contract should they fail to achieve their goal of locking him up long term. Teams can designate franchise players from Feb. 15 to March 1.
The contract website Spotrac.com estimates Pryor’s market value at $8.6 million per year. The projected cost to franchise a receiver this year is $15.8 million, according to OverTheCap.com.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.