There’s no hiding the fact that this has been a rough week for the new Cleveland Browns front office. Fans who were excited about the universal appeal of coach Hue Jackson and assuming it would lure free agents to the team instead watched everyone flee Cleveland as if their lives depended on it. Before the new league year even officially began, all four of the Browns’ marquee free agents had agreed to deals with new teams, most of them not showing much remorse for leaving Cleveland.
Hurting the new regime was the fact it appeared the offers being made were quite low, and agents were expressing significant frustration. A new staff once lauded for being incredibly educated was now getting criticized for seeming cheap.
This accusation reared its head up again yesterday as new developments surfaced regarding the Browns’ ongoing trade talks for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Reports say the two teams have agreed on the appropriate compensation for the trade, and that the only thing in the way is the restructuring of Kaepernick’s contract.
Kaepernick is averaging about $19 million a year in salary, and Cleveland reportedly wants him to consider dropping down to $7 or $8 million. For obvious reasons, this request has resulted in the trade talks stalling. Browns fans are once again up in arms, flipping out about what appears to be another example of the front office being particularly stingy.
I’ll agree with the argument that Cleveland was a bit too frugal regarding its free agents. However, it’s tough for me to argue with the team’s thought process when it comes to Kaepernick. Quite frankly, requesting a pay cut from the 49ers QB is a smart move.
While there’s no sense in spending inordinate amounts of money just for the sake of writing checks, the team is eventually going to need to start ponying up for talent. At the same time, this hardly means the Browns have to be lax when it comes to Kaepernick’s deal.
For one, lost in all the positive fan vibes regarding this potential trade is the fact Kaepernick isn’t coming off his best season. He’s seen significant regression since 2013, and it seems his confidence is in need of repair. Though the salary he’s currently promised is that of an upper-tier quarterback, he certainly hasn’t been playing like one.
Sure, there are more than a few people who are of the mind that Kaepernick is not beyond fixing, and that he’s completely capable of bouncing back. However, what if he doesn’t? What if Cleveland asks for only a marginal pay cut for a player who ends up continuing his downward trend?
All of the sudden, those same people criticizing the Browns for being too cheap are now laughing at the team for overpaying a quarterback whose best days appear to be behind him.
The same situation took place last year, when Cleveland finally spent money on a free agent wide receiver. The Dwayne Bowe signing wasn’t a blockbuster, but many saw it as a positive move. One season later, Bowe barely touched the field even though he was guaranteed $9 million on the year.
Granted, there’s more appeal in Kaepernick than there was in Bowe. Still, the point is that Cleveland doesn’t want to be on the hook for a large chunk of money if the player isn’t earning it. It’s not to say the team has no faith in Kaepernick, but it’s at least confirming that there are concerns regarding his career trajectory.
Add in the fact the Browns are still aiming to grab their quarterback of the future in the upcoming draft, and you can see why taking a hard angle on Kaepernick’s contract restructuring might not be the worst idea on the world.
The Browns are sure to be criticized no matter what comes of this storyline. If they pull the trigger and Kaepernick struggles, they’ll have taken another big risk which fell flat. If Cleveland’s shrewd negotiating results in the deal falling apart, people will once again be taking shots at the new front office.
At the end of the day, I think the latter scenario is the lesser of two evils. The Browns are still intent on finding the quarterback of the future, and their methods in this Kaepernick deal indicate that they don’t think the 49ers QB can fill that position long-term. Therefore, there’s no sense in paying him like he can.
