Alex Mack - Pro Football Rumors

Browns To Match Jaguars’ Offer For Alex Mack

April 11th, 2014 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Browns are matching the Jaguars’ offer sheet for Alex Mack, which was officially signed earlier today, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The move will keep Mack in Cleveland on a five-year, $42MM contract, which includes no-trade protection for the first three seasons, per Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).

Heading into free agency this offseason, the Browns decided to tag Mack as their transition player, tendering him a one-year offer of $10.039MM. Although Mack went out and secured an offer sheet from Jacksonville rather than accepting Cleveland’s offer, he’ll earn about the same amount in 2014 on his new contract. The deal will reportedly pay the veteran center $10MM in 2014 and $8MM in 2015 before he’s faced with a decision on whether or not to void it after the ’15 season.

Those first two years of Mack’s contract are guaranteed, and the third year, which is also worth $8MM, will become guaranteed as well if he opts in. The Browns would then have the option of retaining the center for 2017 and 2018 as well, at a non-guaranteed rate of $8MM per year. If Mack opts out after the first two years of the deal, the Browns would be unable to use the franchise or transition tag on him, since the deadline for his decision comes after the deadline for those tags to be applied.

When Mack entered free agency, agent Marvin Demoff expressed confidence that he could construct a deal that would make Cleveland reluctant to match, despite the team’s wealth of cap space. However, the deal Mack and the Jags agreed to doesn’t look too hard to swallow for the Browns. Despite the significant guarantee, the Browns will be on the hook for about the same amount of money in 2014 ($10MM) that they’d expected, and less than that ($8MM) in 2015.

Still, despite accounts indicating that Mack wanted out of Cleveland, reports this week have suggested the center simply wanted to maximize his value, and he’ll do so with this deal. For the Browns’ part, they’ll keep a player that owner Jimmy Haslam said this week was a priority.

“We remain optimistic that Alex Mack will be a Cleveland Brown for a long time,” Haslam said. “We want him to be. I think we’ve made it very clear that he’s the kind of person, the kind of player we want in our organization.”

Mack, 28, has ranked among the top 10 centers according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) in each one of his five seasons since entering the league in 2009. In 2013, he placed fourth overall, grading well above-average as both a pass blocker and a run blocker.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Alex Mack Signs Jaguars’ Offer Sheet

April 11th, 2014 at 12:18pm CST by Luke Adams

12:18pm: All the money in Mack’s offer sheet is in the form of base salary, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. To recap all the details we’ve heard today and yesterday: Mack will earn $10MM guaranteed in year one, $8MM in year two, then will have an opportunity to opt out after 2015. The deadline for the option is the start of the 2016 league year, so he can avoid being tagged if he voids the deal. If he opts in, his $8MM salary in ’16 is fully guaranteed. The 2017 and 2018 base salaries are also worth $8MM each.

FRIDAY, 11:35am: Mack has signed the offer sheet from the Jaguars, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. According to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), it’s a five-year, $42MM deal with $26MM guaranteed, as we heard yesterday. The contract includes a player option after the second year and a no-trade provision, tweets Schefter.

The Browns will now have five days to match the offer.

WEDNESDAY, 3:56pm: While Mack enjoyed his visit with the Jaguars and intends to sign their offer sheet, he’s also “fully prepared” for the Browns to match it, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

3:22pm: Free agent center Alex Mack will sign a five-year offer sheet with the Jaguars by the end of the week, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). When Mack formally inks the offer from the Jags, the Browns will have five days to decide whether to match it or to let their transition player go to Jacksonville without receiving compensation. For his part, the veteran center is hoping the Browns choose not to match, since he wants to play for the Jags rather than in Cleveland, tweets Schefter.

According to Schefter (via Twitter), Mack’s offer sheet with the Jaguars will be constructed with the intent of making it difficult for the Browns to match. Mack’s agent, Marvin Demoff, has expressed optimism since the start of free agency that he can come up with a deal that will make Cleveland reluctant to match, despite the team’s wealth of cap space.

Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com recently spoke to several agents and executives to try to get an idea of how a hard-to-match offer sheet might work, and concluded that a two-year pact with a significant second-year roster bonus could make sense. If it’s a five-year offer from the Jaguars though, the club may go in another direction. Former agent Joel Corry suggests (via Twitter) that giving Mack the right to void the deal after 2014, or guaranteeing significant money in later seasons could discourage the Browns from taking on the contract.

In any case, given the Browns’ cap room and their desire to keep their All-Pro center, it won’t be easy for the Jags to find the right balance between discouraging Cleveland from matching and not simply overpaying Mack. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam indicated this week that his team won’t let Mack go without a fight.

“We remain optimistic that Alex Mack will be a Cleveland Brown for a long time,” Haslam said. “We want him to be. I think we’ve made it very clear that he’s the kind of person, the kind of player we want in our organization.”

Mack, 28, has ranked among the top 10 centers according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) in each one of his five seasons since entering the league in 2009. In 2013, he placed fourth overall, grading well above-average as both a pass blocker and a run blocker.

By designating him as their transition player, the Browns committed to paying Mack about $10MM in 2014. A long-term deal may not feature an annual salary that high, but it could easily make the former first-round pick the highest-paid center in the NFL.

Alex Mack Updates: Thursday

April 10th, 2014 at 4:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Alex Mack was the subject of several PFR posts yesterday after word broke that the transition-tagged free agent would be signing a five-year offer sheet from the Jaguars. While a center doesn’t typically inspire so much discussion, there are few, if any, in the NFL better than Mack, who ranked as our sixth-best free agent heading into the offseason.

The situation developing between the Browns and Jags is particularly interesting, since there are questions about whether Cleveland could have handled the situation better — assigning the franchise tender to Mack rather than the transition tender would’ve cost the team a little more, but would’ve meant a team wanting to sign him away would’ve had to part with two first-round picks. That essentially would’ve taken the center off the open market.

Here are today’s Mack updates, as we wait for the longtime Brown to formally sign the offer from Jacksonville. Any new items will be added to the top of the page throughout the day:

The general consensus among reporters since Mack’s contract details surfaced has been that the Browns will still likely match, despite the Jaguars’ creative structure. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter link) hears from one source that the Browns will probably match, while another source says Cleveland should let Mack walk due to the 2016 opt-out.

Earlier updates:

Mack’s offer sheet with the Jags will be worth $42MM over five years, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The deal is worth $18MM over the first two years, and includes a player option after the 2015 season. Because of the timing of that option, whichever team Mack is playing for at that point won’t be able to use the franchise or transition tag on him, Rapoport notes (via Twitter).
Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports adds (via Twitter) that if Mack opts in after the second year, his $8MM salary for year three (2016) becomes fully guaranteed.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears from a source that Mack’s deal with the Jaguars will indeed be executed on Friday, so the five-day clock for the Browns to match it will start tomorrow.
Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets that as of late last night he was hearing Mack’s offer sheet from the Jaguars may not be officially finalized and signed until Friday, which is consistent with initial reports.
A source tells Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter link) that Mack’s offer sheet has been “reviewed, but not executed.”
Once Mack signs the Jaguars’ offer sheet, the Browns will likely match it in “no time at all,” according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also hears from a league source that the Browns figure to match the offer and retain Mack. As Florio notes, the average annual value of the Jags’ sheet is less than what the Browns would pay if they kept Mack under the transition tag in 2014 and 2015, so the club can afford it.
While much has been made of Mack’s desire to leave Cleveland, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link) believes Mack will be happy, or “overjoyed even,” to remain with the Browns if the money is right.
Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com explains why it wasn’t a mistake for the Browns to transition Mack instead of franchising him, though much of Grossi’s explanation seems to rely on the idea that Cleveland won’t match Jacksonville’s offer. For now at least, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
The deal Mack eventually gets will affect Mike Pouncey‘s next contract, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald outlines. The Dolphins could extend their center’s rookie contract one more year by exercising his fifth-year option, but a long-term deal will be necessary at some point.

Poll: Alex Mack’s Offer Sheet

April 9th, 2014 at 10:35pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Browns will have five days to make a decision on whether or not to match the Jaguars offer sheet to center Alex Mack once he signs. The offer sheet would make Mack the highest paid center in the league, but the structure of the contract would make it a difficult decision, even for a team with cap space.

Mack’s contract is reportedly frontloaded, worth at least $18MM over the first two years and $27MM over the first three. The total value of the contract is yet to be disclosed, but it is a five-year deal.

Mack would reportedly prefer to go to the Jaguars, but even the frontloaded offer sheet is doable for the Browns, who were prepared to pay him over $10MM under the transition tag in 2014. Even if they expect him to opt out of the contract after the second year, it would most likely still be cheaper than tagging him consecutive years.

Alex Mack’s Potential Poison Pill Contract

April 9th, 2014 at 9:35pm CST by Rob DiRe

Alex Mack‘s offer sheet will reportedly pay him between $18MM and $20MM over the first two years regardless of whether he ends up with the Browns or the Jaguars, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Including the third year, it could be worth as much as $27MM. All of the first three years could be fully guaranteed.

It would leave Mack with the option to void the deal after two years. The Jaguars reportedly feel they have a 50/50 chance of eventually bringing Mack in. The Browns will have five days to decide whether or not to match from the time Mack signs the offer sheet.

Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 reports that this deal will make Mack the highest paid center in the NFL (via Twitter). He also notes that if Mack had played 2014 under the transition tag, that also would have made him the highest paid center that season (via Twitter). This new deal will make him the highest paid center over the course of a long term deal.

wrote a piece about the history of poison pill contracts, and what the NFL allows in terms of language that would dissuade a team from matching an offer. This is what has been expected of the Jaguars, as they are afraid the Browns will elect to match the offer. He writes that while the NFL has banned the practices that led to poison pill contracts like those of Steve Hutchinson and Nate Burleson following the 2005 season.

However, Fitzgerald writes that the Mack situation could be similar to the Curtis Martin contract in 1998, where the contract was frontloaded with an early player option. Based on the details already leaked, this type of contract is certainly in play.

Browns Notes: Mack, Quarterback

April 9th, 2014 at 7:15pm CST by Rob DiRe

Alex Mack has agreed to an offer sheet with the Jaguars, reports Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). He writes that the actual offer sheet has not been drawn up, but it will be submitted as soon as it is. It was reported earlier that Mack would be signing a five-year deal with the Jaguars, and that the team put language in that would make it as difficult as possible for the Browns to match.

Here are further reports regarding the Mack deal and the Browns’ offseason:

ESPN’s Adam Schefter had reported earlier that Mack would prefer to play out this contract in Jacksonville rather than have the Browns match (via Twitter). The Browns told Mack earlier in the offseason that they would not hold him hostage if he wanted to leave, according to Michael Silver of NFL.com (via Twitter). The general feeling is the Browns will strongly consider matching the offer.
Head coach Mike Pettine plans to bring in a veteran quarterback before the draft, writes Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. The team only has Brian Hoyer and Alex Tanney currently on the roster, and with Hoyer not fully recovered from his ACL injury, they will need another arm for minicamp, which starts on April 29. Even if they bring in a veteran, the Browns will still be expected to target a quarterback in the draft.
Tom Pelissero of USA Today laid out a scenario that he believes some of the playoff teams picking at the end of the first round are hoping for, in which one or more of the top quarterbacks slides into the late first round (via Twitter). In this scenario, the Browns would be the last logical landing spot for a quarterback with the 26th pick, meaning the playoff teams with strong quarterback situations could look to trade down to a quarterback needy team at the top of the second round (via Twitter).

Jaguars Notes: Mack, Watkins, Clowney

April 9th, 2014 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

The Jaguars are still contemplating extending an offer sheet to free agent center Alex Mack, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Because Mack is the Browns’ transition player, the team would have the opportunity to match a Jacksonville offer, and as Kabot details, it sounds like team owner Jimmy Haslam is leaning that way.

“We remain optimistic that Alex Mack will be a Cleveland Brown for a long time,” Haslam said yesterday. “We want him to be. I think we’ve made it very clear that he’s the kind of person, the kind of player we want in our organization.”

As the Jaguars continue to mull an offer for the standout center, we’ll check in on one idea for how they could structure their offer, along with a few more draft-related updates out of Jacksonville…

Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com spoke to several agents and executives to try to get an idea of how the Jaguars could structure a contract for Mack that would make the Browns reluctant to match it. The best suggestion he heard involved a two-year deal with a base salary of $10MM for year one, and $1MM for year two, with a $15MM roster bonus early in that second year.
The specific dollar figures on that potential Mack offer aren’t as important as the structure — the Jags could conceivably restructure the deal in the second year to convert the big roster bonus into a more cap-friendly signing bonus, and the Browns would be reluctant to match since they’d be paying a premium annual salary for just two years of Mack. Additionally, if Cleveland were to match such an offer and then release Mack before his second-year roster bonus, the team wouldn’t receive future compensation when he signed elsewhere.
It’s a big week of pre-draft visits for the Jaguars, and we can add a few more notable names to the list of prospects who will be in town. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins will visit the Jags tomorrow, while Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets that South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney will arrive in town tonight.
More pre-draft visits in Jacksonville: According to Peter Schrager of Fox Sports (via Twitter), Texas A&M wideout Mike Evans is visiting the Jaguars today, and O’Halloran reports (via Twitter) that Alabama signal-caller A.J. McCarron will meet with the club tomorrow.

AFC Rumors: Broncos, Holmes, Angerer

April 8th, 2014 at 9:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The contract details on Will Montgomery‘s deal indicate that he won’t necessarily be the starter, but he will have a chance to compete with Manuel Ramirez to be the Broncos‘ primary center, writes Mike Klis of The Denver Post. Klis looks at Denver’s new offensive line options and the different combinations that they might use. Here’s tonight’s look around the NFL..

Receiver Santonio Holmes likely will wait until after the draft to pick his next team, a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Holmes spent the last four years with the Jets before being released earlier this offseason.
Free agent running back Chris Johnson is in New York tonight but he’s not visiting the Jets on this trip, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
The Patriots are still the frontrunners to sign defensive end Will Smith, who was released by the Saints earlier this offseason, writes Florio. Smith, who is seven months removed from a torn ACL, had 13 sacks in 2009 but hasn’t had more than 6.5 in any given year since then.
Colts free agent linebacker Pat Angerer said he had interest from several teams earlier this offseason but wants to be 100% healthy before taking free agent workouts, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports 1.
Browns tight end Jordan Cameron says he’s excited about playing in new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan‘s offense since, traditionally, he prominently features tight ends, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal.
Browns left tackle Joe Thomas said he’s confident center Alex Mack will return to Cleveland next season despite his recent visit with Jaguars, Ulrich tweets. Meanwhile, owner Jimmy Haslem told reporters, including Ulrich (on Twitter), that he’s optimistic that the team will retain the restricted free agent.

AFC Notes: Mack, Wimbley, Brown, Steelers

April 7th, 2014 at 9:16am CST by Matt Feminis

It was reported that the Browns wouldn’t hesitate to match an offer sheet for Alex Mack containing $22M guaranteed, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union gives reasons why the Jaguars can afford to overspend for Mack if they so desire.

Here’s a handful of other AFC notes:

Jets GM John Idzik, on the job 15 months, has cut ties with three of his predecessor Mike Tannenbaum’s nine first-round picks (Darrelle Revis, Dustin Keller and Mark Sanchez). Cornerback Kyle Wilson could be next out the door, writes ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini, who cites Wilson’s unimpactful play as the reason he’s on the hot seat. In 2,195 defensive snaps over four seasons, Wilson has managed just six impact plays. Says Cimini: “Clearly, the organization has added competition, so Wilson will have to raise his game if he wants to play out his contract in New York.” Wilson has one year remaining on his rookie deal.
The Steelers “have been able to reshape their roster despite the constraints of the salary cap,” writes ESPN.com’s Scott Brown, who details how the team took advantage of a rule in the CBA that allows teams to hand out veteran minimum contracts and get a cap discount. In that that type of contract, the max signing bonus allowed is $65k, and the Steelers have done three such deals this offseason.
The Steelers’ website posted a free agent update, listing key additions and subtractions for all four teams in the AFC North.
The Titans and Kamerion Wimbley are still trying to work out a restructured contract, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennesseean (via Twitter).
Free agent running back Andre Brown, previously of the Giants, will visit the Texans today, reports Pro Football Talk.

Alex Mack Notes: Sunday

April 6th, 2014 at 12:48pm CST by Rory Parks

We learned yesterday that it may only be a matter of time before the Jaguars extend an offer sheet to center Alex Mack. The parties met on Friday night, and it appears that they have been talking a potential deal since that meeting took place. If Mack does sign an offer sheet with another club, the Browns would have five days to match. We will start you off this Sunday with a few notes regarding Mack, and if any further developments unfold over the course of the day, we will post them here. Newest updates will be on top.

Overthecap.com looks at how the Jaguars might try to construct an offer sheet to pry Mack away from Cleveland, comparing the Mack situation to that of Andrew Hawkins, the restricted free agent wide receiver that the Browns signed away from the Bengals earlier this offseason.
In response to earlier reports that another club would have to extend Mack an offer sheet that includes $22MM in guaranteed money over the first three years of the deal to keep Cleveland from matching the offer, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, citing a source with knowledge of Mack’s situation, says that the Browns would match such an offer “in a second.”

Earlier updates:

Citing a league source, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets that an offer sheet to Mack would need to include $22MM in guaranteed money over the first three years of the deal to dissuade Cleveland from matching.
Cleveland may have no other choice but to match an offer sheet to Mack, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. It would have cost the Browns an additional $1.6MM to put the franchise tag on Mack, rather than the transition tag, but the two first-round draft picks associated with the franchise tag would have prevented any other team from extending an offer to the talented center. Given that the Browns still have about $30MM in cap space–compared to the Jaguars’ $25MM–Florio wonders how the Cleveland brass could justify letting Mack walk without receiving any sort of draft pick compensation for the sake of a relatively paltry $1.6MM savings.
Tony Grossi of ESPN.com writes that Mack’s purported interest in the Jaguars serves to refute the notion that all he cares about is winning. Instead, as Grossi writes, “maybe stepping off the treadmill in Cleveland is his main goal.“