DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Terrelle Pryor - Chapter 2

Hue Jackson hopes Terrelle Pryor makes the right decision, stays with Browns

By Dan Labbe, cleveland.com
March 02, 2017. 2:46 PM

INDIANAPOLIS -- Hue Jackson admitted on Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine that waiting on Terrelle Pryor's free agency situation to play out will be an anxious time.

"It's free agency, so they get to make a choice and a decision, too," Jackson said. "Hopefully, he'll make the right one and stay here with us."

The Browns decided not to franchise Pryor by the deadline on Wednesday. A non-exclusive franchise tag would have carried with it a number of $15.682 million. Pryor would have been free to negotiate with other teams under that tag, but the cost of someone to sign him away would have been two first-round picks. The Browns also could have continued to negotiate with Pryor on a longterm deal.

Instead, Pryor is set to become an unrestricted free agent unless he and the Browns can come to an agreement in the next few days. Teams are permitted to begin negotiating with free agents on March 7 and can begin signing them at 4 p.m. on March 9.

Pryor, of course, is a unique case. Two seasons ago he couldn't find a job in the NFL after the Browns cut him during his transition from quarterback to wide receiver. He ended up back with the Browns at the end of 2015 and finally made his first catch in the season finale against Pittsburgh. He followed that up by catching 77 passes for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns, all in the midst of instability at the quarterback position and without much help from his fellow wide receivers.

"Obviously Terrelle was a huge piece of what we did a year ago," Jackson said. "Obviously we're working through that. And it has to work both ways for all involved -- for him, for us and hopefully it will."

Pryor, for his part, had expressed towards the end of the season that he would like to remain with Cleveland. Following offseason surgery to repair an injury to one of his fingers, Pryor said he was going to spend time rehabbing with the Browns training staff. Those are both good signs, but things can change once a player hits the open market, especially in a thin wide receiver free agent class.

Losing Pryor would deal a blow to a team that has, to this point, managed their offseason well, led by the re-signing of linebacker Jamie Collins. A key to any rebuild is not only drafting well, but developing young players and then keeping them when the time comes.

The good news is that the Browns still have time to get something done with their top wide receiver.

"Hopefully we can get that done soon," Jackson said.

The next week will serve to test the Browns strategy if Pryor is able to test the free agent market.

Chapter 2. My career AFTER the Browns.

which teams that are playoff caliber could use WR? Carolina, Indy maybe, Baltimore, Minnesota, Tennessee?

New England

but are they willing to pay 10 million per

No.

We have to be careful here. I've said in the past that I don't think there's a Team out there willing to pay him 10 mil or more. Not to mention there's a few WR's coming out in the draft that will be cheaper and younger. We can't set the standard of over paying everyone just to get them to stay. I think he will be here when he see's what he can get on the open market.

"I hope he makes the right decision" doesn't inspire much confidence. My takeaway from that is the two sides are further apart than I hoped.

I also wonder what his agents know about the market? It's like they think they can get him top dollar in FA. I really don't think any one is going to pay him top dollar.

especially since Jeffrey and Marshall are available now too (and Cooks as a trade)

I always try to keep my GM hat on but certain players become matter of the heart.

- I never want Joe to leave, even if he wants to :-)
- Crow is a UDFA knuckle head who shows he can learn from his mistakes & is a decent back, I'm rooting for the kid big time
- Pryor's story is fun - I want to see how it plays out - here!!!

..... back with the GM hat on I honestly cant fault them if they had to let him test free agency, I am hoping he sees we valued him we gave him a great offer and want him back. The franchise tag would have been a panic move, and puts their comment in context.

And Garcon. And DeSean Jackson.

Garcon over Pryor? Tough call for me. Think Pryor, but not for silly money. Having a lot of upside suggests not premiere and elite yet. I would let him earn the world in incentives, escalators, or whatever. I think a fair contract lets him perform lights out and it is pat as you go. I think guaranteed front money is a given, maybe an ouchy premium for a contract, but we have little that is as promising IMO.

I wasn't saying I'd take those guys over Pryor, just that the wide receiver market is not barren.

If Pryor gets to free agency I think he will get paid more than we are willing to pay him. There are a ton of teams with a ton of cap room and they will be willing to overpay. I don't think our team is willing to overpay ever (process).

j/c:

I hope people are deluding themselves into believing losing Pryor would be no big deal...

Well, I think the decision to not franchise him was a sensible one. If they had paid him $15 million for this season, there's no way he would have taken less in the next season. So, they let the market dictate the price. If he gets an offer they feel is a good one, they sweeten it a bit and sign him. If he gets one that is outlandish, they let him go and draft a WR with one of their first five. I would like them to sign him to a reasonable contract, but if they have to draft one, the question then becomes: is a "first round" wide receiver going to be better for the team than Pryor?

We need to do the objective study. Let's say we use Mike Williams out of Clemson as the comparison. Who has better hands, right now? Who runs better routes, right now? Who can make the catch in traffic, right now? Just a few of the main questions that need to be answered.

A problem with this time of year is that there is no real news. Everyone is playing their cards close to their chest, and every reporter and analyst is trying guess what every non-answer means. Then there's all the mis-directions and gamesmanship.

What makes the most sense regarding Pryor is both the team and the player want to continue the relationship, but at what price? So they have a gentleman's agreement to see what his value is on the open market. I suspect the team is willing to match offers within reason.

That is my feeling. I don't think Pryors agents went in with a figure in mind and any numbers the Browns might have gone in with would be a starting point.

Looking back two weeks, Pryor had a tweet where he said Thank God or something alont those lines. People, including I looked at it as a sign of good news or things were nearly wrapped up. Now I think it was because his agents told him that we weren't going to tag him.

We have to hope TP word is true in that he wants to stay here and we are given a shot to beat any offer because it would sure hurt if he signed the first good offer before we had some notification.

I agree. We can't be held hostage.

That said, I hope we keep him in Cleveland. One less thing to worry about.

I disagree for several reasons:

--The WR unit for the Browns is really weak.

--Pryor is one of our better players. Maybe even our best player.

--He is raw and inexperienced, while possessing great size, strength, speed, and athleticism. Thus, it is logical to assume he will that he will continue to grow as a WR/player.

--The league has changed. It is a passing league and the WR position is more important in today's game than it was when we first started posting.

I have ZERO problems if you disagree w/me, but I feel my argument is logical.

Agreed. He is a diamond in the rough, a bit of hothead BUT....he is passionate, works his tail off and proved last year he is committed to this coach and this franchise. However, the franchise now needs to show their commitment. Personally, I feel a bit sick to my stomach if we let him slip away.

Also, I seem to remember a lot of people not being overly miffed when we cut Gabriel. He was acknowledging as the victim of his height and Hue/Hawkins prior coaching/player relationship. But, once he had a break out season with a gunslinging QB, goes to the SB a lot of people started criticizing and bemoaning his release. Imagine how painful it will be if we allow Pryor to slip away and he then has an even better season than he did last year?

The other side of that coin is....How long should we keep Gab?
Or other Players that just don't get it done? Between the concussions and lost time on the field, where is the sense that we let Hawk go and keep Gab? A guy that can't get on the field and is maybe a concussion away from wrapping it up? There is no easy answer, I don't blame the Coach or the FO for this move. Even if they saw the speed and the talent, what good is it if you can't stay on the field?

Hindsight is easy...we had no idea Gabriel would be the WR we now see with ATL. We also don't have a gunslinger like Ryan. But, Gabriel's youth probably should have kept him in CLE over Hawk.

And I agree. But I think that between the injuries and his height, no to mention with all the Rookies coming in, we needed experienced Vets to help our young WR's. Just a thought.

The Browns have said that they are not going to franchise Pryor, but they can use the transition tag, as we did on Alex Mack. That would allow us to match any offer he would get.

The deadline to tag him already passed.

I didn't realize that. Thanks for straightening that out for me.

Does anyone know what the Browns are offering? I have not seen it mentioned anywhere.

48 hours left before other teams can "officially" come calling ...

My guess is Drew all ready has some ducks in a row and has some numbers all ready on his table ..

Jc...I thought for sure last year we would keep Gabriel over the older higher priced Hawkins...I was wrong.

On Pryor...does worry me with FA so close...I could have sworn last before FA players already had deals done before the 4pm start of FA...They just had to wait to officially announced it...and they were with new teams. I just would hate to lose TP when we have so many holes already.. hopefully we will hear some news on him and Patzor.

Anyone think Shanahan will steal another Browns WR in Pryor?

Was he even around under Shanahan? I think Pryor is going to the team that pays him the most.

JC

"Negotiations can become hostile if two parties have a different view on numbers. Pryor and the Browns to be on similar pages.

"I think we want to have him here as long-term as opposed to kind of a one-year temporary option. I think Terrelle, in my conversations, he understands where we are with respect to him. We value him a lot," Brown finished.

Head coach Hue Jackson understands the value of the wide receiver in his offense.

"It's important. Obviously, Terrelle is a huge piece of what we did a year ago. Honestly, we are working through that. It's got to work both ways. It's got to fit for all involved, for him, for us. Hopefully it will. Hopefully we can get that done soon," Jackson said.

Pryor recorded 77 receptions for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns last season. According to Spotrac.com, his value is $35,649,429 over the course of four seasons."

http://cle.247sports.com/Bolt/Terrelle-Pryor-deal-must-work-for-both-parties-51581914

I dont think SF would do that ... they have so many needs to spend tons on a wr

jc...

Technically, free agency does not begin until March 9 at 4pm...

...the period when teams can legally discuss potential/future contracts with the agents of free agents begins March 7 at 00:01(am).

...but no contract can be signed until, March 9, 4pm.



link
March 7-9 is an open window for teams to start contract talks with unrestricted free agents. This time is unformally known as the "Legal Tampering Period" since teams are allowed to speak with players from other teams.

After 4:00 p.m. on March 9th is when the new league year officially begins. Since teams had the brief open period before this day, the first few hours of free agency are often pretty hectic with players signing left and right.

My understanding is with agents only, no direct contact with the players themselves...