With the Front Office thread about to become 11 pages long, this might be a good time to begin a new Front Office thread, if it's ok with the board moderators...
Terrelle Pryor could become the latest litmus test of the new-look Browns
Posted by Mike Florio on March 8, 2017, 10:19 AM EST link
The analytics suggest that receiver Terrelle Pryor wants more than the Browns want to pay him. And how the Browns handle this one will become the latest litmus test of the team’s new approach to building and maintaining a football team.
Last year, they let center Alex Mack and tackle Mitchell Schwartz go via free agency. Then, as part of the effort to prop up their new procedures by keeping all 14 draft picks, they released receiver Taylor Gabriel, who became a great player for the Falcons’ NFC championship team.
This year, Pryor is the biggest name (and the best story) on a team desperate for stars. But the numbers say what they say, and the Browns are willing to disregard the name on the jersey and the man in the helmet in order to honor their new procedures.
It’s a calculated risk, to be sure. As one source with knowledge of the dynamics explained it to PFT, teammates like and respect Pryor. He’s particularly respected by players who played for the Browns when Pryor arrived and tried to convert to receiver but failed to make the team. And he’s passionate about playing for the Browns; how many guys in the locker room really care as much as he seems to?
The question is whether Pryor is a true No. 1 receiver, and whether he ever will be. Corey Coleman, a first-round pick in 2016, could become the top player on the depth chart, with or without Pryor there. Until Coleman develops, they likely need someone more accomplished than either of their best two options. (Josh Gordon would be nice, if he ever gets reinstatement.)
With so much cap space, it may seem trivial for the Browns to quibble about a couple million here and a couple million there, especially for a player that is so popular with the fans. But if they’re going to let this new approach take root, they need to honor it, without exception.
The other concern, frankly, is the manner in which Pryor will react to finally getting a massive contract, six years after entering the NFL. What happens when Pryor gets paid?
To the extent that’s a reason for the Browns to not pay Pryor $12 million per year, isn’t it also a reason to not pay him, say, $8 million a year? As one source explained the dynamics, it’s financial security that causes a player to change; the degree of the security doesn’t really matter.
So what will Pryor do once he gets paid a lot of money? And how will he continue to develop as a receiver? Those are questions that need to be answered as Pryor continues his career not as a guy who throw passes but as a guy who catches them. Whether they’re answered in Cleveland or elsewhere remains to be seen.
And if Pryor gets paid, handles it well, and performs well with a new team, the Browns will be hearing about their latest decision to let one of the few good ones get away.
I hope the front office did their homework on Kenny Britt...
...3 knee surgeries and 9 incidents with the law.. Below is a timeline of Kenny Britt's career with the Titans, by the Bleacher Report...
Tennessee Titans: The Rocky Timeline of Kenny Britt's NFL Career | Bleacher Report link
TENNESSEE TITANS: THE ROCKY TIMELINE OF KENNY BRITT'S NFL CAREER Chad MintonCorrespondent I September 26, 2013
It's been a rough road to say the least for Kenny Britt since joining the Titansback in 2009. Britt is immensely talented, but the talent hasn't translated consistently to the field for the Titans. It can be argued that Britt has created more bad than good during his turbulent career with the Titans. It could very well be the end of the line for Britt with the Titans. He has enough talent to maybe get an opportunity somewhere else, but the Titans are most likely done with the guy that was supposed be their next star wide receiver. Here is the rocky timeline for Britt with the Titans, and where it all went wrong.
April 25, 2009: Kenny Britt Is Drafted 30th Overall by Titans
There was reason for excitement when Kenny Britt came on board in 2009. The Titans were fresh off of a 13-3 season that ended in a close loss to the Ravens in the playoffs.
Britt was a guy who offered the Titans a chance to finally get that star wide receiver that they had been lacking since becoming the Titans.
It was viewed generally as a solid pick by the Titans back in 2009 by draft gurus Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN. They saw him as a guy who could contribute immediately to the Titans' offense, and that he did when he finished with 701 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie.
At this early stage in the draft process, it looked like the Titans had done their homework and made a great pick to help their offense build off of a combined regular season record of 23-9 over the previous two seasons.
Nov. 29, 2009: Britt Catches Game-Winner over Arizona
Taking Kenny Britt in the first round was looking good before this memorable game, but this one really got people excited about Britt's future in a Titans' uniform.
Just as a refresher, this was more of a memorable game for Vince Young than it probably was for Britt. Nonetheless, this was Britt's first big game in a Titans uniform.
Britt ended up catching the game-winning touchdown to get fans to start believing again after this team started 0-6 with Kerry Collins.
It was a career day for Britt as he finished with 128 yards and the touchdown. That's a good day for most veteran receivers, but it's definitely a good day at the office for a rookie.
There was obvious reason to be excited about Britt at this early point in his career. He had just caught his first career touchdown the week before on top of this performance.
Young was getting most of the attention during this time, but Britt deserved a chunk of that as well. The Titans had always been thin at receiver, and it was refreshing to see a rookie receiver making such an impact.
April 12, 2011: Britt Is Arrested in New Jersey After Car Chase with Police
This surprised virtually everyone at the time. Britt was coming off of a respectable season statistically, and was looking to make the leap into stardom.
Britt was already showing signs of what we're seeing now after just two seasons, even though they were productive ones.
There is no doubt that this incident set him back, and can be viewed as the first domino that fell in the collapse of Britt in a Titans' uniform.
Even though the charges were later reduced, it wast still a major red flag moving forward for an organization that had already had some questionable draft picks before.
Sept. 25, 2011: Britt Tears MCL Against Broncos
This tough injury for Britt could be viewed as the moment when things really started going sour. Britt was coming off of a season where he caught nine touchdowns and had 775 receiving yards.
However, the recent arrest was also hanging over his head. Some people were ready to forgive and hope that his talents trumped the matter.
He was on a record-setting pace through his first two games of 2011 before suffering this injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Now there was off-the-field issues and an MCL injury for fans to chew on. That's never a good combination.
Injuries are a tough part of the game, and one has to wonder where Britt would be on his career path if that injury would have been avoided. Players unfortunately get into trouble all of the time, but season-ending injuries usually spell disaster for player at early stages in their careers.
For what it's worth, the Titans finished 9-7 that season. A playoff appearance would have been feasible with a healthy Britt, and this current situation in 2013 may be a lot different.
August 2012: Britt Suspended for First Game of Regular Season
By this point, Britt already had eight reported incidents with police that ultimately led to this lenient suspension from the NFL.
He ended up missing the season-opener with the Patriots, a game that the Titans certainly could have used his services. It was another case of wasted talent for a player who could really help this Titans' offense.
More than a year later, it's still happening. Luckily for the Titans, they're somewhat deeper at wide receiver to alleviate from the void that Britt is leaving.
However, Britt still had every opportunity to come back strong following this suspension. He had another chance in the bag to showcase his talents and help the Titans avoid what ended up being a dismal 6-10 season.
Britt would end up having yet another meeting with police in the early part of 2013.
2012 Regular Season: Britt Struggles to Be Consistent
By many standards of NFL receivers, Britt had a strong showing in 2012. He finished with just a shade under 600 yards to go along with four touchdowns.
Here's the major problem that goes outside of the numbers when it comes to looking over Britt's 2012 season: He did absolutely nothing to alleviate what he had done off the field that led to him missing the first game.
If Britt comes out with a 1,000-yard season, then you have to think that it would've been much easier to forgive and forget. He had a very ordinary season, and that's why the criticism began to leak out.
We all know how talented Britt is and how much he could have elevated the Titans' passing offense over the last three average years. The fact that he didn't maximize his talent in 2012 reinforced the notion that it wasn't going to end well for Britt in a Titans' uniform.
2013 Offseason: Britt Shows Glimmer of Hope
The 2013 offseason was probably the last chance that Britt had to get it right as a member of the Titans, and he had his teammates fully behind him heading into offseason workouts.
In other words, the table was set for Britt to finally avoid the drama and just play football.
Britt didn't really light it up in the preseason like a player in his position should have.
He finished with five catches for 55 yards, but the stats weren't necessarily the problem. Preseason stats usually mean very little, but Britt showed absolutely no signs that he was ready to embrace his great talents and play football in 2013.
However, he did have plenty of people optimistic that he was finally going to live up to the first-round pick that he was awarded in 2009.
September 2013: Britt Fires Back on Twitter
Twitter is one of those things that can be so deadly for athletes and their reputations. What was left of Britt's reputation was basically destroyed after the stunt he pulled on Twitter heading into a Week 3 showdown with the Chargers.
Britt took the preemptive strike by tweeting that he expects this to be his last season with the Titans. He even used the Jared Cook situation as an example.
Looks like the Titans pullin that Jared Cook card .. Looking like this the last year ill be sayin #TitanUp .. So lets make it a Great year
— Kenny Britt (@KennyBritt_18) September 17, 2013
Sometimes athletes have to learn to keep their thoughts under the radar when it comes to how they feel in their current standing with their team. In Britt's case, it created drama that he was already known for.
This wasn't a guy that had a clean slate and was just frustrated. He was supposed to be buckling down and having a drama-free season.
Maybe Britt had a point in how he felt about his involvement with the offense. That's an argument for another day. How he handled it on social media is the problem at hand. It simply can't happen if you're truly trying to make things right with the organization that drafted you.
After this latest antic with Britt, there just seems to be no way that this situation ends well with him in a Titans' uniform.
There is still a long season ahead for Britt to prove everyone wrong, but that's something you just shouldn't bet on. Unless a Pro Bowl season comes out of Britt over the last 13 games, the Titans will cut their losses with him and move on with a fairly deep group of receivers.
I just feel like the Britt signing doesn't really fit with our other wise FA decisions this year.
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Jeudy is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Tillman is flanked out wide to the right. Judkins and Ford are split in the backfield as Flacco takes the snap ... Here we go."
To be fair to Britt, his last 3 seasons with the Rams have been his best, on the field and off.
Britt's speed is not going to blow anyone away, after 8 yrs and 3 knee surgeries..but he does have good hands and shows a desire to go after the ball.
Hopefully, his off the field issues are a thing of the past and hopefully his focus will be football first. My major concern is Britt's ability to take the punishment that he will face in the AFC North, with the health of his knees being my #1 concern.
If Britt can stay healthy he might be able to fill a major need in Hue's offense.
CAN KENNY BRITT REBUILD CAREER WITH 1-YEAR DEAL FROM ST. LOUIS RAMS?
Once upon a time, Kenny Britt looked like a superstar in the making, a player whose combination of size and speed would propel him to the top of the NFL's wide receiver ranks.
Instead, injuries and off-field dust-ups propelled him into the doghouse and then off the Tennessee Titans altogether. After landing a second chance from his first pro coach, Jeff Fisher, Britt will try to resurrect his NFL career.
As Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean reports, Britt has agreed to terms with the St. Louis Rams on a one-year contract:
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com pointed out the financial details of the deal:
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Rams' guaranteed investment is minimal:
There was interest from more than a few teams, but the 25-year-old finally settled on the Gateway to the West and the head coach who drafted him back in 2009.
On many levels, that makes sense—especially since Britt has been trying to recapture the momentum he established early in his career.
Kenny Britt 2009-10 Year G GS Rec. Yards Avg. TD 2009 16 6 42 701 16.7 3 2010 12 7 42 775 18.5 9 Per NFL.com
By Britt's sophomore season in 2010, he was emerging as one of the NFL's rising young wideouts. He reeled in nine touchdown catches that season, and his average of 18.5 yards per catch ranked seventh in the NFL among wide receivers with 40 or more catches.
However, his 775 yards that season would wind up as a career high.
In April 2011, Britt was arrested in New Jersey after a chase with police. In September that same year, he tore his ACL.
Kenny Britt 2011-13 Year G GS Rec. Yards Avg. TD 2011 3 3 17 289 17.0 3 2012 14 11 45 589 13.1 4 2013 12 3 11 96 8.7 0 Per NFL.com That was the beginning of a downward spiral that Britt has yet to recover from. There have been more injuries and run-ins with police than touchdown catches. By last year, even when he was healthy, he was barely used by the Titans.
Still, just a couple of weeks ago, Wyatt was opining that we may not have heard the last from Kenny Britt:
More than one NFL team apparently agreed with Wyatt—at least to a degree. The New England Patriots, Washington Redskins, Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks were all mentioned by Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio as potential suitors.
Still, Britt chose the Rams, perhaps at least partly due to Fisher.
Playing time may have been another factor. Yes, the Rams spent a high first-rounder on Tavon Austin last year, but they also struggled to get him open in the slot, where he's best suited.
Meanwhile, the Rams have run through a litany of outside receivers in recent years with limited success. It isn't hard to imagine a healthy Britt beating out the likes of Brian Quick and Chris Givens to start at the "X" receiver spot.
Britt still thinks he can be that guy, telling Wyatt toward the end of the Titans' regular season:
I am going to be a No. 1 receiver somewhere else if I am not here (in Tennessee) next year, and that is guaranteed. I am definitely going to be a receiver that makes plays on Sundays and makes something happen for a team. Of course, it's been a while since we've seen a healthy Britt—at least for an entire season. Only once in his five NFL campaigns (his rookie year in 2009) has he played in all 16 games in a season.
The off-field troubles are a worry too. However, for what it's worth, Britt has kept his nose relatively clean of late. Wyatt points out that, in many ways, the past is just that:
However, in some respects, St. Louis wasn't the ideal landing spot. The situation under center in St. Louis isn't exactly Seattle or New England, and Sam Bradford has battled health issues as well.
Still, it's not a bad situation by any means. Britt will be playing for the coach who coaxed his best seasons from him and, assuming his knees hold up, he should get the opportunity to start outside for the Rams.
If Fisher can get anything close to what Britt produced in Tennessee, both sides will be big winners in this deal and Britt won't be signing another one-year deal a year from now.
I think Greg Williams probably had input on the Britt signing, even though he was DC, he probably provided input.
Me, meh, lukewarm at best and hoping for development of the other receivers and the return of ghost Gordon.
The OL signing I like. Offensive linemen can normally play well into their 30's and that bodes well. Hopefully they are not injury prone. I think the Front Office wished it handled last year a bit better, but it is time to look forward, and learn from the lessons of the past.
I am a bit surprised that there have not been any defensive signings. I think that will be the focus of the draft.
Welcome back, Joe, we missed you!…. That did not age well.
They tried for one defensive signing.. but that one took less money to go to Baltimore. The draft is deep on Defense and weak on OLine, so I expect we will be drafting D.
The Cleveland Browns - WE KNOW QUARTERBACKS ( Look at how many we've had ... )
With the Front Office thread about to become 11 pages long, this might be a good time to begin a new Front Office thread, if it's ok with the board moderators...
I'm done with the "The Front Office" thread.
It's one long agenda to simply slam the FO. Every single piece of news - from signing the long snapper, to the coaching additions, to Collins, Bitonio, Zietler ..... EVERYTHING is a front office decision. The fact that we have more draft collateral than god - down to the FO.
The ONLY thing posted by Mac is the stuff where he wants to rail against the FO.
Rename the thread "I Hate the FO" - post your angst there. Don't pretend this is a all encompassing discussion about the FO.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
They say, the market determines a players value. Comparing some contract numbers...
Pierre Garcon, signed by 49ers The 49ers front office valued Mount Union product Pierre Garcon signed a five-year, $47 million deal ($20 million guaranteed) with San Francisco. He'll catch passes from former Browns quarterback Hoyer....
30 yrs old 6'.0"...211 lbs entering 10th season 9.4 mill/yr 20 mill guaranteed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Terrelle Pryor...Browns claim they offered... Pryor a $32 million deal over four years, $17 million guaranteed. I'm told Pryor wanted a four-year deal averaging $13 million -- or $52 million total. Not sure how much guaranteed....
27 yrs old 6'-4"...235 lbs entering 3rd season as wr 8.o mill/yr ... 17 mill guaranteed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kenny Britt...Browns signed him... Kenny Britt signed a 4 year, $32,500,000 contract with the Cleveland Browns, including $17,000,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $8,125,000.
28yrs old entering 9 season 6'-2 1/2"...223 lbs 8.125 mill/yr 17 mill guaranteed
Grossi is never happy he is always negative towards this organization no matter what they do ... JMHO
John 3:16 Jesus said "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Interesting numbers, mac. Thanks, but what is the point you are trying to make?
As I've tried to point out, the market determines a players value...not some analytics formula that has absolutely no flexibility.
But, I do wonder how the analytics boys valued Pryor...some formula they made up with predetermined values plugged in to come up with a value. It doesn't look like the market had much to do with how they valued Pryor, imo.
This is interesting reading ... ANALYSIS OF VARIABLES WHICH DETERMINE FOOTBALL PLAYERS’ MARKET VALUE... link
I don't get the 'unwilling' to sign Pryor... But all reports we offered him market value and he decided to go to Washington...what did you want them to offer?
Mac you make no sense in regards to Pryor. All reports say we offered more....so we're we to continue to up the offer until he signed? Then you would be going on about how the FO overpaid. Give it a rest
you know.. before FA ever opened.. Pryor removed the Browns from his Twitter page.. then put them back on when he got a bad reaction. Now we obviously see why.. he had no intention of being here. He felt no gratitude to Hue.. to the team or his team mates. He showed that he did not want what the Browns offered.. EVEN THOUGH THEY OFFERED HIM MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE. I don't blame a guy for going for more money.... BUT HE DIDN'T.
I guess he continues to show his true colors... He wasn't ignorant to the situation at OSU. HE DIDN'T CARE.. HE MESSED OVER HIS TEAM.. HIS UNIVERSITY.. AND HIS COACH WHO BELIEVED IN HIM. Now he does the same thing in the Pros...
The Cleveland Browns - WE KNOW QUARTERBACKS ( Look at how many we've had ... )
New Browns wide receiver Kenny Britt, center JC Tretter and right guard Kevin Zeitler each had their own different paths to Cleveland.
But they all spoke Friday of a belief in head coach Hue Jackson and the direction of the organization after a 1-15 season watched one of the NFL’s youngest rosters grow up on the fly.
“It might sounds ridiculous, but because Hue is here, I believe,” said Zeitler, who spent four seasons with Jackson in Cincinnati.
“I really like Hue and the direction he has the program going,” Britt said. “I wanted to be a part of this. I wanted to be a part of the rebuilding and what they have going on.”
That process got an extra boost Thursday as the Browns agreed to terms with Britt, Tretter and Zeitler on the opening day of free agency. Cleveland also inked left guard Joel Bitonio to a five-year extension, acquired center Marcus Martin off waivers from San Francisco and quarterback Brock Osweiler via trade with Houston.
“Our approach was to be very targeted heading into free agency,” executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown said in a statement, adding it was a “collaborative effort and we are excited to add these three players to our roster, as we feel they match the identity of the team we are trying to build.”
Indeed, it was a jam-packed day that watched the Browns make good on a vow to be “appropriately aggressive” in their talent acquisition efforts this offseason.
Britt, who enters his ninth season, is coming off a 1,000-yard campaign while Zeitler and Tretter — widely considered two of the league’s best young offensive linemen — will join Bitonio and 10-time left tackle Joe Thomas.
“When you can surround yourself with great players, you have to look at that opportunity,” Tretter said. “And then obviously you add in Kevin to that, you have the potential to be truly a great line and kind of mesh together and build something special.”
They’ll have the opportunity to do that under Jackson and a front office that bolstered its roster Thursday.
“Hue definitely makes me believe as well as Sashi and the other people I’ve talked to,” Zeitler said, “that this place and this organization is moving in the right direction and I’m very excited to be a part of it.”
This article is like perfect coming on the heels of all the bashing of Grossi.
Bet all those folks who bashed Grossi have absolutely no problem w/this article. All but Pit, of course. LOL
Anger management: 10 tips to tame your temper. Keeping your temper in check can be challenging. Use simple anger management tips — from taking a timeout to using "I" statements — to stay in control. ... Anger is a normal and even healthy emotion — but it's important to deal with it in a positive way.
On Dec. 2, 2015, NFL owners agreed to a rule change that didn’t make the biggest headlines but helped set the foundation for some of the biggest Browns transactions over the past year.
Upon the conclusion of a relatively quiet free agency period last season, Cleveland knew it’d be in a position to receive multiple, high-placed compensatory picks, which fall anywhere from late third round to late seventh round. Even without knowing exactly where the picks would fall, the Browns were able to use them in arguably their three biggest trades of the past year.
Cleveland ultimately received four compensatory picks, a total that tied them with a handful of other teams for the most in the 2017 draft. After Thursday’s trade with the Texans, which resulted in the acquisition of a 2018 second-round pick and quarterback Brock Osweiler, the Browns hold just one of them -- a fifth-rounder that is set at 181st overall.
“Draft picks are extremely important to our approach in building a championship caliber football team,” Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown said Thursday.
The vast majority of the picks accumulated, of course, are used on players coming out of college. The Browns picked a whopping 14 last year and currently hold 11 selections in this year’s draft. After Thursday’s trade, the Browns boast a combined eight picks in the first and second rounds of the 2017 and 2018 drafts.
“We have positioned ourselves well,” Brown said in January. “We can add some talent in the draft, and we look forward to exploring what is available to us when we see what is out there in free agency, as well. We do hope to transform our roster to an extent toward a positive and add a lot of young talent.”
Those picks, of course, can be used on more than just draftable talent, and that’s how the Browns used their best compensatory pick to improve the roster.
In late October, the Browns traded a conditional draft pick to New England for Pro Bowl linebacker Jamie Collins. In late January, Cleveland signed Collins, who was one of the Browns’ leading tacklers during the second half of the season, to a four-year extension. When the compensatory picks were distributed last month, the teams confirmed New England would receive Cleveland’s third-round compensatory pick, which is slated at 103 overall.
The Browns’ next-best compensatory pick was sent to Philadelphia in what served as the final payoff in the team’s blockbuster trade before last year’s draft. The Browns swapped first-round picks with the Eagles, moving Cleveland from No. 2 to No. 8, and a future fourth-round pick in exchange for third- and fourth-round picks in the 2016 draft, Philadelphia’s 2017 first-round pick, and a 2018 second-round pick. The Eagles ultimately received the 139th overall pick in this year’s draft.
In Thursday’s trade with the Texans, Cleveland parted with its other, fourth-round compensatory pick (slated at 142 overall) in exchange for Houston’s second-round pick in 2018, Osweiler and the Texans’ sixth-rounder in this year’s draft.
And as it stands today, the Browns still hold all of their own picks in the first six rounds, five of the top 65 and 11 total.
“It's an opportunity for us to impact our football team,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said, “to put some talented players on our team, on our roster and that's what we're looking forward to doing.”
This article is like perfect coming on the heels of all the bashing of Grossi.
Bet all those folks who bashed Grossi have absolutely no problem w/this article. All but Pit, of course. LOL
Well, since I bashed Grossi I might as well put my thoughts on free agency here. I would give this FO a solid C- so far. I don't understand our free agent moves. I've been the biggest advocate of signing Tretter, because I thought it was the better analytic move to sign him instead of Zeitler. I think signing both makes Greco the odd man. I don't *mind* it, but I think money could have spent better else where. I really don't understand it after last year's free agency. Makes me seriously wonder if we have an actual multi-year plan or if we're just playing it by ear every year.
The Brit signing makes me mad. I don't think he is worth it. I don't think he should be the oldest WR in the locker room. I'm not sure he's the kind of guy we want here. I think it would have made much more sense to give TP another prove it deal. I said I had no problem with 8-10 mil for a year deal.
That said, the FO has killed it on trades. If they trade Glock Osweiler, I'll be even happier.
I wasn't disputing that. I was saying that the one article was ridiculous and I seriously doubted if any of you guys would critique it.
I think I was right about that.
To be honest, I neither viewed the Grossi video nor read the article. When I see the name Grossi being used as an authority on NFL related topics my patience is thin.
No more no less. All is good.
After glancing at the article you commented as ridiculous, of course it paints the Browns in the best light. It's from the Bowns' own website, as you are aware.
For example, the Browns article reads ....
“It might sounds ridiculous, but because Hue is here, I believe,” said Zeitler, who spent four seasons with Jackson in Cincinnati.
When just one day prior, Zeitler said on SiriusXM NFL Radio....
“My agent actually kept things pretty quiet,” Zeitler said Thursday night while preparing to take an early-morning flight to Cleveland. “I know on Day 1 a couple of teams came in and started talking. As it went on, it came down to New Orleans and Cleveland.
“It sounded like Cleveland just offered the best deal. My agent suggested I go with it.”
