DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Former Brown, Alex Mack, Retires

He was a class act. Never understood how we let him go.

Respected him when he played for us. Quality. The tail end of his career disappointed me. Proof that it is a business. Enjoy retirement.

He had an opt out clause and exercised it. I don't think we wanted him to leave, but sometimes you can't stop them from doing so.

I never could understand why Alex would have wanted to leave here. All those wonderful seasons here, the rock solid stability and not to mention the great coaching. Some guys just don't know when they've got it good!!!

A Nothing event imo. And almost nobody retires as a Brown, a sign of (not) keeping a team together.

Throw, I think I know why. It's got to be the Cleveland weather!!!!!

I remember at the time Joe was trying hard to get him to stay.

I cannot say I blame him for leaving.

But who can ever forget:

Mack is sorrowful reminder of how far Eric Mangini set this franchise back with his idiotic
Trade downs In that Draft.Browns had the 5th pick in that Draft and that Belichek wanna be
Wanted to show the NFL he could be a incredible judge of talent Also.
Mack very solid career. Super smart center. But you draft centers at 22 to turn a franchise around

Mack left because Sashi was deliberately tanking. End of story.

Class act... wish he was a life long brown...

I always thought Mack's performance in Draft Day was outstanding!

Cheers on retirement. Great career.

I am not sure about that. Mack played here through the 2015 season. I am pretty sure Brown became the GM in 2016.

We didn't let him go. We never wanted him to go. He opted to go.

I am not casting shadow on the guy, I just remember something a little sticky about how he left.

That was Sashi's first year. He had said it was important to keep our free agents and then we lost Mack, Schwartz, Gipson, and Benjamin.

Soooooo much missing context there ^...anyway...

We tried to get Mack to stay...Joe T tried to get Mack to stay...he wanted out...and he couldn't be stopped.

I agree that they wanted him to stay, but I actually chose that passage because I thought it provided a ton of context. The key phrase was "the new leadership's 'vision for winning." The Browns were about to cut salary and plan to acquire more draft capital. They were in no way trying to win in those first couple of years.

Ok...this is what I was referring to as lacking context:

"That was Sashi's first year. He had said it was important to keep our free agents and then we lost Mack, Schwartz, Gipson, and Benjamin."

Mack signed a contract with the Jags the year before his ultimate Browns opt-out in March 2016. We matched the Jags offer and brought Mack back. He wanted out the year BEFORE he was able to leave (without us stopping him)...so in 2015. Sashi was put in charge of football ops in January 2016. So...by that time, Mack had already tried to get out. Farmer was the GM until Jan 2016...Mack tried to escape in 2015...Pettine was the HC pre-2016 (and was a flop)...Hue Disaster was hired Jan 2016.

The Schwartz situation was mishandled by us AND his agent. We lost a very good player and Schwartz lost a ton of $$$. We offered him more money than anyone else and more than he signed-for elsewhere. That debacle was NOT about ^ "The Browns were about to cut salary and plan to acquire more draft capital."

Gipson had ONE good year in his entire career. He was - and remained - just a guy. He wanted - and got - paid way more than any team should have paid. That wasn't a salary cut and we got no draft capital back after he left. That was simply not seeing eye-to-eye on value...just like with Jarvis Landry last month.

Benjamin was always a 4th-5th WR who managed to get paid like a #2 in his second contract. Cut-and-paste to follow: He was - and remained - just a guy. He wanted - and got - paid way more than any team should have paid. That wasn't a salary cut and we got no draft capital back after he left. That was simply not seeing eye-to-eye on value...just like with Jarvis Landry last month.

Thanks for the clarity. I now remember it playing that way as well.

Either way, it is old news and no need to hash over all that stuff.

A good player retired. I wish him well.

I think if you go back and check, Ray Farmer had more to do with Mack leaving then anyone else...

Wasn't Ray Farmer the one that matched the contract Jacksonville offered that had the 2 year out?

Yes, and it also had a poison pill clause... Mack played one year, then in the second year, was injured and missed the rest of the season.. then left

Either way, Sashi didn't seem to have anything to do with it.

Have you even bothered to read all the posts in this thread? Good God, man!

I don't want to talk about Sashi anymore. He's gone. But please, don't make things up.

I wonder if Mack would have used the out if it wasn't Sashi and Hue. That's one that no one can really say. He might have realized the burn down and wanted out. This is one of those stories we will never hear the full of but I'd love to know more about.

Good question. I don't know, but I do know when it went down and I provided proof, no matter what Daman says. And again, I am not going to get into a Sahsi argument. He's gone.

Lots of people are gone. Some I miss, some not so much.

I do wish Mack well, I never faulted him for leaving and I never felt like he crapped on us when he left.

Well...you introduced Sashi to this thread.

We did not comply...by signing the offer sheet that Jacksonville offered, we basically made Mack our property when he wanted gone. The next chance he got without being tied to us...he left.

if you didn't want to talk about Sashi, why did you bring him up in the first place?

As for Sashi's role in Mack Leaving, it was Brown that set it up and literally gave up.

Congrats Alex. He was one of our good draft picks and players. Great career

After offering Schwartz, and I believe Mack as well, record contracts at the time.

Gipson proved to be an average to slightly above average FS, not anywhere near what he wanted, and Benjamin was never more than average WR who was a decent returner.

I think this is key. Mack played for 3 teams. All had Shanahan coaching them in some capacity. After playing for Shanahan, he followed him every chance he got.

IIRC, we would've killed for "slightly above average" at both FS and returner after those last 2 left.