DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Alex Mack continued.....again.

And on the previous vein of the spotrac contract site, if you search Alex Mack, it lists him as a Jaguar. I gotta kick out of that.

No brainer to match the offer. We keep one of our best players and we will still have plenty of cap room next off-season (even more than we would have had if Mack signed the transition tag).

I have no worries about Mack's attitude. He has been nothing but a model citizen his entire career.

In reference to Joe Thomas and his contract.

I would hope, but do not know what Thomas will do about his contract. Nothing that I know about him leads me to believe that Mack's contract will be a major issue for Joe when negotiations on his next deal comes up. I hope Joe wants to win one or more championships before his career is over. If so, then he won't resent other core player's getting paid.

Go Browns!

Joe's not really much for the money since he's being paid anyway. But his contract will end when he's 33ish. We should give him some good money for 2 years and watch him retire as a Brown. But his major pay day is past him.

'Cleveland Browns matching Jaguars' five-year, $42 million offer for Alex Mack'

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2014/04/cleveland_browns_jaguars_five-.html

By Mary Kay Cabot, Northeast Ohio Media Group on April 11, 2014 at 3:54 PM, updated April 11, 2014 at 4:48 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns will hang on to Pro Bowl center Alex Mack for at least the next two seasons.

Question is, will he be two-and-through?

The Browns on Friday announced that they'll match Jacksonville's offer sheet, which is a five-year deal worth $42 million, including $26 million guaranteed.

The deal includes $18 million guaranteed over the first two years, after which Mack can void the deal and become an unrestricted free agent. If he walks away, he stands to hit the jackpot again in 2016 despite the fact he'll be 30 for most of that season.

"I'm excited for both Alex and the Browns,'' general manager Ray Farmer said in a statement released by the team. "We have talked about keeping our own players and this is a positive for us. Alex is a quality person and player that truly brings to life what playing like a Brown means.



"The ending is positive for everyone. Keeping our young, good nucleus of players is vital for clubs and specifically the Browns, and therefore is this a good step. I'm excited for Alex and our football team as we continue to prepare for the 2014 season. The next step is the upcoming draft."

If Mack, 27, opts to stick around after two years, he'll receive $8 million more guaranteed from the Browns in 2016 -- and maybe more if they're really motivated to keep him.

What's more, the Browns can't trade him until the 2017 season is underway and can't use the franchise or transition tag on him after 2015.

The $8.4 million average also makes Mack the highest paid center in the NFL, surpassing Carolina's Ryan Kalil, who averages $8.186 million per year.

The deal gives Mack the opportunity to control his own destiny and hit the market after two more seasons here. The Browns, on the other hand, solidified their center position for the next two years, which is essential if they start a rookie quarterback in 2014.

The Browns are in the process of conducting private workouts with most of the key quarterbacks in the draft, including Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr.

If the Browns had let Mack go, they probably would've had to use at least a third- or fourth-round pick on a center. Overall, they have 10 picks in the draft, including three in the first 35.

If Mack leaves after 2015, the Browns will have paid him an average of $9 million a year, which is high for a center. For comparison's sake, he's making $2 million to $3 million more than comparable centers from his draft class. Seattle's Max Unger, a second-round pick in 2009 and two-time Pro Bowler, averages $6.45 million a year, and Buffalo's Eric Wood, a first-round pick in 2009 averages $6.3 million and up to $7 million with incentives.

But at this point in the offseason, all of the good free agent centers are gone and the Browns had few options. Besides, they were prepared to pay Mack $10.039 million under the transition tag in 2014, so less than $8 million for the second year isn't unreasonable.

Since being chosen by Cleveland with the 21st overall pick of the 2009 draft, Mack has started all 80 career games and has not missed an offensive snap, a streak of 4,998 consecutive plays. He was named to his second Pro Bowl following the 2013 season, becoming the third Browns center to earn multiple Pro Bowl honors, joining John Morrow and Tom DeLeone. Mack was also named second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press in 2013 and to the Professional Football Writers of America 2013 All-AFC team.

One of the only downsides to the deal is that the extra $5 million or so the Browns will pay Mack over the next two seasons could've been used to help fund extensions for Joe Haden, Josh Gordon, Jordan Cameron and Phil Taylor.

But at the NFL Annual Meeting last month, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam stressed that he'd go the extra mile to keep Mack.

“Alex Mack is a quality person and quality player and he’s the kind of person we want to play with the Cleveland Browns for a long time,'' Haslam said. "I personally like Alex a lot besides him being a good player. We were very frank (during a meeting in California). We want him to finish his career with the Cleveland Browns.''

He also dismissed the notion that Mack wanted out of Cleveland.

“In my conversations with Alex, I think he wants to be a Cleveland Brown,'' said Haslam. "We had lunch that day and he sat next to me at lunch, and I came away convinced he wants to be a Cleveland Brown.”

And now he will be -- at least for the next two years.



(end)

I'm glad that bit of drama is over... At least for the next couple of years.

Great news. Alex Mack is a very good player.

I had to stop reading the previous Mack thread. There were 141 new posts. I read crap like how much better Phil Taylor and Haden were at their positions than Mack.

Really?

anarchy even said Taylor was better than both Mack and Haden. The guy plays how many snaps a game? Better? Please.

I don't see it as a bad move. Look at the message this send to the other players on the team: If you perform at a high level and make yourself a valuable asset, you will get paid. It is always goo when you retain your talented players and Alex Mack is one of our talented players. Would you rather fill the gaping hole at center with a rookie or spend a high pick on a rookie if Mack left? Lets all be happy we won't have to address the center position for at least 2 years.

j/c
When boiled down to the essentials, which in my mind are, would the Browns' be a better football team in 2014 with or, without Alex Mack; the answer is obvious. Is it necessary to state the obvious?

The deal gives the club breathing room to make whatever moves it decides are necessary.

Dont be surprised if they dont still draft a center in the 2nd or 3rd round and have him learn center and guard roles as mack's eventual replacement

More than a month ago I suggested that Mack needed to be signed before the draft or another player taken in the draft to lessen the team's exposure.

That player still needs to be added to the team. The difference being it can done with a late selection in this draft or acquired during cuts or drafted next year. Urgency to do something rash is less than it might have been yesterday.

From the previous thread .....

Thomas will still be the highest paid player. (overall) His contract pays him very nicely, most likely till the end of his career. He is 29 now, and his deal runs through the end of the 2018 season. (when he will be 34) It is likely that he will start to slow down as he gets older, but regardless, Thomas has made his big money. That's why his contract was structured the way it was. It paid him a bundle up front. That makes it possible to pay him less later on, when other good players will need larger contracts. I'm sure that one of the arguments Thomas and his agent used for justifying the large guarantees over the 1st 3 years.

It was kind of funny/sat to see Thomas, on one of the sites, talking about his contract though. He was so excited about the direction of the team under ....... Pat Shurmur. He was so sure that the team had found their QB in ....... Colt McCoy. He was sure that the best for the Browns was just around the corner.

Of course, then we changed owners, coaches, (X3) and GMs, (X3) over the next 4 seasons.

j/c

Farmer played this one right in my book. He gave Mack what he wanted and it didn't backfire on the Browns.

He's here for 2 years guaranteed - he's going to play hard especially if he will be a FA in 2016...or he can sign probably an extension and stay here?

But Centers can be developed. I hope we can draft some late round OGs and develop them into Centers.

Two that come to mind. Chris Elkins Youngstown State...Austen Bujnoch Cincinnati (injury drop)???

Late round or UDFA...bring them in and develop them. More than one...you would be surprised what you develop. Remember Skill set wise Center is the easiest of the OL positions. Mental n Intelligence can be developed over time.

jmho

I'm glad we are keeping a pro bowl caliber center but I can't help but feeling a tad bit violated.

The headlines I'm reading, "Everyone benefits" is not true. Mack benefited. The Jags lost nothing. The Browns got a huge hit in payroll.

I also agree with what former Browns OL Ross Tucker was quoted as saying, "The center position is not worth the close to $10 million a year that Mack will reportedly command over the first three years of this deal, whether he plays in Jacksonville or Cleveland." It goes back to the thought, just how much is one man's labor truly worth?

I think we over paid but what other choice did we have? Pick up some free agent on his last legs? Draft another rookie that will need some development?

Just leaves me in the same place I've been for a few years now..."I don't care. Just show me some W's". That's all.

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And let's face it...if Pettine/Farmer are horrible enough for Mack to want to bail after 2 years, then shame on the Browns, not Mack.

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^ this! ^

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The Browns got a huge hit in payroll.

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Thats how you keep pro bowl veterans in their prime.

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The headlines I'm reading, "Everyone benefits" is not true. Mack benefited. The Jags lost nothing. The Browns got a huge hit in payroll.

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I don't know. It's not like we were going to get him signed for 5-6 mil a year. He is the highest paid center, but not by some obsene amount. In a couple of years, he probably won't be the highest paid.

It is what it is.

I don't understand feeling violated.. This was a pretty good deal for both the Browns and Mack..

J/C

So with this out of the way, what's there to talk about? The draft is still 25 days, 7 hours and 21 minutes away!!!

I think we played the Mack situation 100% correctly. We have one of the best centers in football if not the best. We have enough holes to fill we didn't need another HUGE hole to fill if he left.If we finally have the right people in place, and I think we do, start to win some with some stability I think he may just want to stay after these 2 years. One can only hope. JMHO

Cleveland Browns' Alex Mack: "There's no bad blood. Now that it's done, I'm excited'' | cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2014/04/alex_mack.html#incart_2box

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- On Friday afternoon, Browns center Alex Mack had no idea if he'd be flying south or turning the key in his Cleveland area front door again.

And now that he's headed back home, he couldn't be happier.

"It's been a long, hard road, but I'm here and I'm happy,'' Mack told cleveland.com in an exclusive phone interview Saturday. "I'm excited. I'm fired up. There's no bad blood. Now that it's done, I'm happy.''

Mack remained the property of the Browns for at least two years Friday when the club quickly matched the five-year, $42 milliom offer sheet from the Jaguars. The deal, which averages $8.4 million a year, makes Mack the highest paid center in the NFL and gives him the opportunity to become a free agent after two years.

The deal includes $26 million guaranteed overall, and $18 million over the first two seasons, after which Mack can void the deal and hit the market. If he sticks around for a third year, he'll make another $8 million guaranteed in 2016 and then have a chance to make $8 million in the final two seasons.

The Browns also can't trade him up until the start of 2017 and can't franchise or transition him after 2015 because of the timing of the opt-out clause.

"It really gave me a lot of options as a player which is something that's not typical, but I'm happy both ways (if it's a two-year deal or longer),'' he said. "I got a long-term deal, and we got a nice good contract that both sides are happy with. I'm excited (about being the highest paid center) and what can I promise is that I'll try my hardest day in and day out and I'll be the same person.''

Mack, 27, denied national reports that he badly wanted out of Cleveland.

"I don't believe I ever said that,'' he said "Seeing the options and trying to test free agency and see what else was out there was something that we wanted to do and we had a small opportunity to kind of get a little bit of that.''

But did he want out?

"No,'' he said. "Contracts are tough. It's the business side of things and as a player my job is to play football, something I'm good at. I have agents (Marvin Demoff and Tim Younger) to do the business side of things, and it's not always easy, but I'm happy with where I'm at.''

What will it take for him to stay after the first two seasons of the deal, during which he'll average $9 million a year.

"I'm 100% dedicated to working my absolute hardest to win games and that's what everyone wants,'' he said. "That's what I'd like to see, but that's two years from now.''

Mack, who received the transition tag at the start of free agency, said he remained hopeful throughout the ordeal that he could remain a Brown and receive fair market value.

"Yes, It's a process,'' he said. "All last season, a couple of times we'd go up and have successful talks and the No. 1 thing was to not being distracting. I wanted to devote my time to football.''

He said he harbors no ill-will toward the previous regime for failing to get the deal done before or during last season.

"Last year wasn't bad by any mean,'' he said. "Everything was handled very well and I'm 100% content. That's just the business side of things. It's tough. It's a battle and that's just what it is. In terms of my opinion, no. I'm good, I'm happy to be in Cleveland, let's move forward, let's go work hard and win games.''

He said he knows he might have to win back some of the fans, but he knows just how he'll do it.

"I'm going to be the same guy,'' he said. "I have a good attitude and I'm going to go all out for my team, that I can promise. I'm going to do my very best and that's as much as I can offer and I think that's what everyone wants to see. I like the city of Cleveland. I have a house there. I have friends. I've never had anything wrong with it.''

Does he expect to hear boos his first time out at FirstEnergy Field?

"I haven't actually thought about that,'' he said. "Hopefully not. But if that's what they want to do, I will still try my hardest.''

He acknowledgd that the constant upheaval here took its toll, but that he's optimistic about the future.

"When things change, it's a little different, but when the Brown came out and visited me here in California, they presented a really good front, a new coach, new GM, all of that,'' he said. "It's exciting to think about, because I know we have good player. Getting to know the coaches a little bit, you get excited about that. I'm excited to think about where the offense is going and what's in store this season.''

He also developed a newfound respect for owner Jimmy Haslam during that meeting in California.

"Mr. Haslam took a lot of heat firing the coach after one year and cleaning the building out, but it shows a lot of drive which is really respectful in my book,'' said Mack. "He took a lot of personal attack on that but he did that because he knew what he wanted and that was the sunny side of looking at the same thing.''

He acknowledged that he would've been happy to go to Jacksonville had the Browns not matched.

"I owe a great thanks to Jacksonville,'' he said. "They're a first-class organization. I can't speak highly enough of them. I was close to being there, and I was comfortable with either way that contract went. I must say I went out there with some expectations and they did a real good job of improving those, so they have good things going and I wish them the best -- except one game next year.''

He said he wasn't sweating out the Browns decision. "I knew it was a possibility they'd match and I had to be okay with either way it went,'' he said. "It's tough. I'm going to leave it at that.''

He declined to elaborate on the notion of two-and-through.

"One thing that football teaches you is to look at the short side of things,'' he said. "Now, I've got next year to worry about and that's what I'm going to do. You can't look too far into the future. That's a future problem and we'll deal with that later.''

He said he appreciated his new offensive line coach Andy Moeller making the trip to California last month along with Haslam and the others.

"I had a small opportunity to visit with him and talk a little bit,'' he said. "Of course I liked my line coach (George Warhop), but we're linemen. You get comfortable with people and you know what to expect. Moeller seems like a great guy. I haven't been around him that much, but from talking to the other guys, they're excited and looking forward to it.''

He's also heard good things from his teammates about Mike Pettine, Kyle Shanahan and the new schemes.

"I've been pretty quiet on just about every front, but the few things I have heard have been good,'' he said. "One thing I have to say about my teammates is that they're great guys. I've always been happy with the people that have been around Cleveland. They show up and work hard and that's what you want to of your teammates. It's a great environment and I'm looking forward to going back to it.''

Like quarterback Brian Hoyer, Mack is confident the Browns are poised to win this season

"Absolutely,' he said. "We have a great team, great players and I'm excited. We have six Pro Bowlers. That's fantastic. That's a lot to build on and with a couple of other pieces and parts, I think we can win.''

Mack, who will join his teammates in the offseason program here Monday, said he hopes to add more Pro Bowls to his resume, but that's not his primary focus.

"For now, I've got to show up, learn a new offense, put some facetime in and do the best I can,'' he said.

Ok, that was a good read, and I'm sure it's been discussed in the 20+ pages on the subject. But what's up with the report that said "Mack would prefer to play the contract in Jacksonville" ?

I assume that came from Mack, through his agent. Has that issue been addressed, because it sounds like he wanted out?

Thanks YTOWN, I have been waiting to get Mack's response to the match.

As usual he says all the right things and seems to be focused and ready to help us win some games.

I like that he reiterated that he never said he wanted out of Cleveland.... lets put that to rest.


Yeah he owes a great deal to Jville, frankly so do we... he got everybody off the snide and enabled this to be resolved.

j/c

When the Jaguars were formulating their free agent plan two months ago, a key component was 28-year old center Alex Mack, who didn't miss a snap and made two Pro Bowls during his five years with the Cleveland Browns.

But when the Browns placed Mack under the transition tag designation, meaning they could match any offer sheet, the Jaguars moved on. Temporarily.

Based on interviews over the past week, here is how and why the Jaguars pursued Mack, who signed a five-year, $42 million offer sheet with the Jaguars today that the Browns matched.

*The Jaguars consider center the third-most important position on the offense after quarterback and left tackle and wanted to acquire an experienced player.

*The Jaguars’ three AFC South rivals – Indianapolis, Houston and Tennessee – all run a 3-4 defense and the Jaguars want a proven center to handle those nose tackles.

*They don’t have any in-house free agents upcoming save for receiver Cecil Shorts so they could afford to go above market value for Mack. Plus, the Jaguars hoped the Browns would opt to save some of their money for cornerback Joe Haden and receiver Josh Gordon.

*And they had nothing to lose. Because he was given the transition tag (and not the franchise tag), Mack was given a hall pass to shop himself and the Jaguars didn’t feel pursuing him would be a waste of time.

Before going after Mack, the Jaguars decided to address their other needs, signing running back Toby Gerhart, linebacker Dekoda Watson and defensive linemen Red Bryant, Chris Clemons and Ziggy Hood in a span of five days last month.

The Jaguars didn’t actively pursue the other veteran centers on the market because they felt good enough about Mike Brewster taking over the role.

But with Mack still available and talks with the Browns going nowhere, the Jaguars went to work late last week.

The team reached out to Mack’s agent, Marvin Demoff, to express their interest.

Citing the positive things he had heard about the Jaguars from those around the league (including his son, Kevin, executive VP of the St. Louis Rams), Demoff told the Jaguars he would pass along their interest to Mack.

A day later, and after an negotiating session with the Browns went nowhere, Demoff told the Jaguars that Mack was willing to travel to Jacksonville for a visit.

Last Friday and Saturday, Mack was in town and met with general manager Dave Caldwell and coach Gus Bradley.

Demoff did not accompany Mack to Jacksonville and there were no contract negotiations during Mack’s visit. In addition to dinner with Caldwell and Bradley, Mack met with other Jaguars coaches and took a physical exam.

If Mack left town and decided he wasn’t interested in the Jaguars, it would have only cost the team a plane ticket and dinner.

But Mack was interested.

On Monday, Demoff called the Jaguars to tell them Mack was so impressed with the visit that he wanted to play for the Jaguars.

Contract talks started and became serious quickly. The parameters of the deal were agreed upon Wednesday and Mack signed the contract on Friday. Cleveland took four hours to match.

http://members.jacksonville.com/opinion/...+Times-Union%29

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"For now, I've got to show up, learn a new offense, put some facetime in and do the best I can,'' he said.

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I may have answered my own question, but to me it sounds like Mack isn't unhappy here, but he would have prefered to be elsewhere if it were his choice.

Yeah, I figured as much. I'd think that it came from Mack, and not his agent speaking on his behalf. You would have to be the best agent ever to start speaking for your player when it comes to destinations. I'll stick with, Mack is/was unhappy with all the turnover, likes it in C town, but would prefer to be elsewhere. I don't think it will affect his play.

It does seem like the white elephant and very curious to me.