Tashaun Gipson, the last of this year’s restricted free agents to sign his contract for the 2015 season, wasn’t pleased about receiving a second-round tender instead of a first-round tender, but he’s happy to play on the one-year deal if he and the Browns don’t reach a longer-term arrangement, writes Matthew Florjancic of WKYC. However, while he says he’s “perfectly fine” with his current contract, he’s also looking ahead to the possibility of a larger payday in free agency, as he suggests to Florjancic.
“At the end of the day, my rookie contract was less than this tender. So on the bright side about it, I’m going to make more money than I’ve ever made, so I can’t complain about that,” Gipson said. “But, yeah, absolutely, I would say, ‘Hey, man. You see the way that guys are getting paid. The safety position, it’s changing drastically. The top five guys are all getting paid $9MM+.’ That type of stuff, it entices you and it says, ‘Hey, man. There’s light at the end of the tunnel.'”
Florjancic passes along a handful of comments from Gipson, who continues to say that he’d like to stay in Cleveland, if possible. But it sounds as if the young safety won’t necessarily be accepting a hometown discount to remain with the Browns. Gipson, 24, pointed to former Browns defensive backs like T.J. Ward and Buster Skrine, suggesting that he recognizes the business side of the game can often result in players changing teams.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- Greg Jennings made several visits and took his time deciding where to sign when he became a free agent earlier this offseason, but a phone conversation with Dolphins GM Mike Tannenbaum eventually convinced the veteran wideout to head to Miami, says Ben Goessling of ESPN.com.
- Tight end Taylor Thompson was cut last week by the Titans without any sort of injury designation, but Thompson claims that he requires knee surgery due to a lingering issue from last season. As Adam Caplan of ESPN.com writes, the NFLPA is looking into Thompson’s release, and the difference of opinions between player and team.
- Josh McCown is already displaying the attributes that drew the Browns to him this offseason, Pat McManamon of ESPN.com writes.
Zach Links contributed to this post.