Sashi Brown

Browns’ Sashi Brown On Blown Trade, Future

November 6th, 2017 at 1:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Teams like the Bills and 49ers made headlines last week after pulling off blockbuster trades. The Browns, meanwhile, were in the spotlight for the deal they did not make. Despite verbally agreeing to acquire quarterback A.J. McCarron from the Bengals, the Browns failed to file the proper paperwork before the 4pm ET/3pm CT trade deadline.

Did the Browns intentionally scuttle the deal? On Monday afternoon, top executive Sashi Brown discussed the the would-be swap and much more (transcript via Nate Ulrich of the Akron-Beacon Journal):

On whether the paperwork mishap was deliberate:

It’s wholly untrue. I think we were all in there together, Hue, myself and a couple other staff members that work on these things at the time we were trying to get the trade done. So I’m not worried about that internally, externally. I can just put it to bed. That’s just not the case. Nothing we would ever do. To try to make up a trade to sabotage a trade just wouldn’t make any sense.

This is just a matter of getting to a deal too late in the process. Both Cincinnati and us tried our damnedest to try to get the paperwork in at the last minute. We’re talking about minutes and seconds before the trade deadline ended. We were on the phone with the NFL at the time to try to make it happen. It did not happen. I do think Cincinnati in earnest tried. I know we did everything humanly possible to get it done. It just didn’t happen.

On whether the botched deal will result in his firing:

I don’t [worry about it costing me my job]. I think we’re in good communication with both Dee and Jimmy [Haslam] on these things, and they’re well apprised of what we’re doing and why and how things come together. I think they’ve seen our track record in terms of being able to perform and pull off some of the more creative deals in the league and a host of just simple, straightforward transactions, whether they’re in the season or on draft day. So I don’t [have that concern]. I think they understand that we’ve been as aggressive as any team trying to churn this roster and improve it.

On whether he has been assured of his return for 2018:

No, it wouldn’t be a conversation that I would have, either. I think the most important thing for us to do is really stay focused on our task at hand. We’ve got eight [games left] this year. Our [players] have been resilient and focused. I think you’d expect no less from the front office and the coaching staff, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.

AFC Notes: Luck, Fournette, Watson

November 5th, 2017 at 11:24am CST by Zachary Links

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link) says no one is exactly sure what the future holds for Colts QB Andrew Luck, who was recently placed on IR and ruled out for the remainder of the year. Per Rapoport, Luck has met with at least four doctors and has been advised that he should not throw for two to three months, though surgery is not in the cards at this point. Rapoport says all indications are that Luck will be healthy for the start of 2018, but Alex Marvez of Sporting News is not so optimistic. Because of the way the Colts publicly handled the situation, Marvez does not put much stock in reports that Luck will be ready to go by the start of 2018 — especially since he still cannot throw without soreness 10 months after surgery — and he says Indianapolis is facing the possibility of Luck never playing again at a high level and being on the hook for $87 million in salary guaranteed against injury. Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com tweets that Luck will be reevaluated in December, and that the Colts are “not ignoring” the 2018 QB draft class.

On that sobering note, let’s take a look at more rumors from around the AFC:

The Colts claim that cornerback Vontae Davis is out for today’s game due to non-injury reasons, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears that is actually a cover-up for the fact that the Colts have not disclosed Davis’ lingering groin injury in recent weeks. Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star says there is more to Davis’ absence than the team is letting on, but he believes Davis’ absence is due to personal reasons and is not injury-related.
Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette was deactivated for today’s game against the Bengals, and Jay Glazer of FOX Sports tweets that the star rookie missed treatment, a workout, and a team photo this week, which led to his benching. Head coach Doug Marrone is clearly trying to change the culture in Jacksonville, though Jags fans have to hope it doesn’t come at the expense of the team’s playoff push.
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that Texans QB Deshaun Watson is expected to miss eight to nine months as a result of his ACL tear, though the last time he tore his ACL, he missed only five months, so Houston is hopeful for a shorter timeline.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says Broncos QB Paxton Lynch is under consideration to start in the team’s Week 10 matchup against New England, but Mike Klis of 9News.com says (via Twitter) that report is inaccurate. Klis reports that Lynch is not yet physically ready and that Brock Osweiler will keep the job if he plays well.
As La Canfora writes in a separate piece, there are some Browns coaches who believe GM Sashi Brown intentionally scuttled the team’s near trade for A.J. McCarron, presumably because he believed the cost (a second- and third-round draft choice) was too high. Even if Brown is right about that, his efforts to intentionally sabotage the trade represent a massive breach of protocol and will only intensify the much-discussed rift between the team’s coaching staff and front office. But even if Brown did not act duplicitously, and even if the botched trade was simply due to human error, the fact that the coaching staff thinks Brown intentionally nixed the deal suggests things have gone beyond the point of no return in Cleveland.

Browns Ownership Goes “Nuclear” On Front Office After Trade Mishap

November 1st, 2017 at 9:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

The biggest story from a loaded trade deadline is looking like it was a deal that didn’t happen. Both of Ohio’s NFL teams are dealing with the fallout, one far more than the other.

A disconnect between the Browns’ front office and the coaching staff has long been reported, but now ownership has stepped in after the front office appears to have bungled a trade for Bengals backup quarterback A.J. McCarron. Specifically, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports Dee Haslam went “nuclear” on the Browns’ front office on Wednesday.

The Bengals would have sent McCarron to Cleveland for second- and third-round draft choices, but several reports have noted the Browns did not send in the necessary paperwork in time. McCarron remains a Bengal, and this latest report lends further weight to the Browns having made a seminal mistake on Tuesday.

Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports the Browns contacted the Bengals on Tuesday morning about McCarron’s availability, and the Bengals lowered their asking price to second- and third-round picks. Mike Brown and Sashi Brown were on the phone at around 2:10pm CT, with the latter attempting to convince the Bengals boss to drop the asking price. Mike Brown, per Terrell, held firm by saying this was a good price for an intra-division trade. Terrell adds the Browns then pointed out the 49ers’ deal to acquire Jimmy Garoppolo — who was viewed as a higher-end Cleveland target than McCarron this offseason — only took a second-round pick, prompting Mike Brown to repeat his stance about not being in business of assisting a division rival.

Mike Brown, per Terrell, told Sashi Brown to call back in a few minutes after thinking over the deal. But a call from the Browns saying they would accept the deal didn’t come until 45 minutes later, with around five minutes to the deadline.

The Bengals scrambled to get the paperwork in but managed to send their documentation to the league, with Terrell adding an email coming from Sashi Brown’s assistant — the unfamiliar name on the email adding to the confusion — went unnoticed during this frenzy. Noting teams often check with each other to see if they receive pivotal emails of this sort, Terrell adds this did not happen during the accelerated process.

However, Terrell notes the Bengals having seen this email wouldn’t have mattered since the Browns needed to send signed documentation to the NFL as well.

“All you have to do is notify the league office you are making a deal. That’s an easy thing,” Marvin Lewis said, via Terrell, who reports the Bengals did have a league rep on the phone while they were completing the agreement. “We spoke to a person in there.”

A league source informed Terrell there’s uncertainty about the Browns’ intent on making this trade, adding that there might have been a disconnect between the front office and coaching staff regarding this transaction. The source pointed out how much time elapsed between Mike Brown-Sashi Brown phone conversations as evidence. This comes after cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reported Hue Jackson was on board with this trade Tuesday.

Florio reports seven teams have told PFT the Browns and Bengals should have separately contacted the NFL about the terms of this trade.

“Only requirement is for both clubs to separately notify the league office via email of trade terms. If trade terms match, deal done,” a source emailed Florio. “No need to sign paperwork and submit prior. Have 15 days to submit trade papers (with terms that identically match emails).”

These latest revelations figure to add to what’s been one of the more dysfunctional setups in recent NFL memory. And with the 0-8 Browns (1-23 since this new regime began work) considering personnel changes, this will not help convince ownership this arrangement can continue as is.

Latest On Rift Between Browns’ Execs, Coach

October 18th, 2017 at 10:45am CST by Zachary Links

Publicly, all of the Browns’ key players are saying the right things. But, with more and more stories coming out about discord between coach Hue Jackson and team brass, it’s apparent that something isn’t right in Cleveland.

Jackson came to the Browns prior to the 2016 season with a vow to win right off of the bat and said the team would not rebuild, but “retool.” With that in mind, Jackson and his staff were miffed this offseason when the Browns shipped linebacker Demario Davis back to the Jets and released cornerback Joe Haden, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com hears.

Through six weeks, Davis is third in the NFL in tackles with 53. Haden, meanwhile, is playing quality football with the Steelers. The Browns, still searching for their first win heading into Sunday’s game against the Titans, could use some players like that.

The rift between the coaching staff and the front office could result in a shakeup at the executive level, though the Browns deny reports of shopping for executives. Peyton Manning‘s name has come up as a potential GM candidate for the Browns, but Cabot hears that the QB’s recent trip to Cleveland was not for the purpose of discussing the job.

If Manning – a good friend of owner Jimmy Haslam – winds up as the team’s next GM, the Browns still might want to surround him with experienced execs. The Browns are currently guided by Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown (effectively the GM), Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta, and Vice President of Player Personnel Andrew Berry. None of those three have a track record of assembling a winning football team and DePodesta’s background is in a different sport entirely.

Browns Rumors: Jackson, Thomas, Collins

October 14th, 2017 at 9:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

While questions about the effectiveness of the current Browns regime’s plan continue to emerge, there are NFL personnel who believe in what Cleveland’s trying to do. Some around the league remain bullish on the franchise’s strategy of stockpiling draft picks with the hope lapping the field in terms high-value selections can’t help but lead to a strong foundation, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes. Of course, the Browns benching their second-round rookie quarterback for a player who was on their practice squad a year ago in advance of a meeting with the surging Deshaun Watson doesn’t make for great optics. But Pelissero adds Jimmy Haslam, his history of impatience in this department notwithstanding, had to know this experiment wasn’t going to go well early. But the new regime’s 1-20 record piling up many more losses before picking up that second win still might mean trouble for either Hue Jackson or the Sashi Brown-led front office.

Here’s the latest out of Cleveland.

One asset perpetually linked to a trade for draft picks figures to re-emerge in these discussions before the Halloween deadline. Joe Thomas is still playing at an All-Pro level in his 11th season, but with the Browns having done so much to acquire high draft picks, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if the team having once again fallen out of contention so soon would make a trade sensible. Thomas being on a team-friendly deal (a non-guaranteed salary of $8.8MM is attached to Thomas’ through-2018 contract) would stand to help in potential talks, and Browns management would seemingly be running out of time to cash in its top asset and grab another Day 2 pick (Thomas turns 33 in December). But Florio adds Thomas’ presence stands to help keep fans interested in the team, one that doesn’t look interested in competing for a playoff spot any time soon.
Whether Kizer reclaims his job and fares better down the stretch or not, the Browns’ new-look front office is unlikely to let the rookie’s performance affect the strategy of gauging 2018 draft options, Bud Shaw of cleveland.com writes. The Browns passed on Watson in part because they wanted to be in a strong position to draft a possible higher-end quarterback prospect next year. Choosing Watson at No. 12 would have provided a stronger impediment toward doing that than taking one at No. 52, where Kizer was chosen.
For the first time this season, the Browns will have their top two defensive investments on a game field together. Jamie Collins will return after missing three games due to a concussion, Dan Labbe of cleveland.com reports. It will mark the first time the outside linebacker and Myles Garrett will play together in a regular-season contest. Garrett registered two sacks in 19 snaps during his debut in Week 5.

Jimmy Haslam Conference Call Increases Tension In Browns’ Front Office

October 1st, 2017 at 10:27am CST by Rory Parks

The rift between the Browns’ coaching staff and personnel department is something of an open secret, and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the rift may have widened even more this week.

Per La Canfora, team ownership held a conference call with its scouts and football operations staff this week, and while the call was ostensibly intended to give the talent evaluators a vote of confidence, some within the organization have ascribed a very different meaning to it. Team sources said that the call was more of a “kiss of death” than anything else, and a sign that there could be another major shakeup on the way.

Owner Jimmy Haslam has stated that he wants to maintain continuity within his front office and coaching staff rather than engage in the same constant turnover that has plagued the organization for years. However, the Browns look to be heading towards another dismal season in 2017, and in response to questions as to whether the team could win this year or is again looking towards the future, head coach Hue Jackson said on Monday, “I think this team can [win]. I think we have to do some things better and work a little bit harder and make sure that we do some of the detail things right, but that question that you just asked, I think that is something you have to talk to [executive vice president] Sashi [Brown] about and the executive team.”

Those comments are what triggered Haslam’s conference call with football operations, and the fact that he felt compelled to have such a call at this point in the season have suggested to some that change could be on the way. As La Canfora writes, the Brown/Jackson partnership, such as it is, is looking increasingly untenable, and the team may have to show marked improvement in a big hurry (i.e. start winning a few games) to prevent Haslam from cleaning house.

Earlier this month, we saw yet another instance of discontent between Jackson and Brown, and Jackson’s comments this week suggest that things may only be getting worse.

AFC Notes: Browns, Brantley, Charles

May 6th, 2017 at 12:13pm CST by Ben Levine

The Browns are currently rostering four quarterbacks in Cody Kessler, Brock Osweiler, DeShone Kizer, and Kevin Hogan. Despite the depth, the grouping doesn’t have a whole lot of experience, as the four signal-callers have combined for 49 career games. Despite the inexperience, the front office doesn’t anticipate adding a veteran quarterback to their roster.

“That would surprise me,” head of football operations Sashi Brown said on WKNR 850 AM (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). “I’ll never say never, and we’re always out there looking for what’s available to us. But very few transactions happen around the league, maybe one or two a year that would affect the quarterback position, particularly a starting-caliber quarterback. So I would anticipate and feel really comfortable about the four guys we have going into the season.”

Let’s take a look at some other notes from around the AFC…

While appearing on ESPN’s Mike and Mike, Brown explained the logic that went behind the Browns selection of Florida defensive tackle Caleb Brantley in the sixth round. “We’ll see what the prosecutor’s office does here, but that was another thing,” Brown said (via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com). “There was no warrant issued for his arrest. There was an allegation of what happened. So we did our diligence.” Brantley is accused of punching a woman back in April.
Brown also indicated that he wasn’t rushing to make a Brantley decision before the legal process plays itself out. “We don’t want to prematurely rush to a judgment or presume that we have all the facts, so [we’ll] wait to let the process play out and do as much work on it as we can and then make a decision,” Brown said. “With these legal processes, sometimes they take longer than anticipated. But we do anticipate in the next several weeks that some resolution will come.”
New Broncos running back Jamaal Charles recently appeared on the “Unmatched Sports with Cal Jones” podcast, and he discussed the Chiefs decision to cut bait on him and his $3.75MM contract. “I thought maybe they would give me a grace period. But I haven’t performed the last two years,” Charles said (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post). “At the same time, I know it was about business. I think it would have been cool if they came and told me about a pay cut because I think I would’ve taken that pay cut, because I think I owed it to them for allowing me to be on the team. But I felt like when I got that call, it was just like, man, it was just OK, man. If it can happen to Peyton Manning it can happen to anybody.” Charles left Kansas City as the organization’s all-time leader in rushing yards.

Hue Jackson Pushing Browns To Hire New GM

January 9th, 2017 at 10:26am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have a new defensive coordinator and there could be more major changes coming down the pike. Coach Hue Jackson has “told numerous associates in and out of the Browns organization” that he would campaign for the team to add a new general manager this offseason, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. La Canfora adds that Jackson has already compiled a list of candidates that he would like to be considered for the position.

The Browns do not currently have a GM but Sashi Brown – the team’s “Executive Vice President of Football Operations” – acts as the team’s top decision maker for the roster. Reading between the lines, it sounds like Jackson isn’t thrilled with Brown’s work in the first year of their partnership.

No one expected Cleveland to do much in 2016, but everything has to be evaluated after a dismal 1-15 season. Under Brown, Cleveland amassed an impressive pile of draft picks, but Carson Wentz‘s strong rookie year has led many fans to question the decision to trade away the No. 2 overall pick.

If the Browns do pursue a GM, they might have some overlap with the Niners’ search.

Browns Notes: Jackson, Kessler, RG3

November 14th, 2016 at 8:42pm CST by Ben Levine

The Browns may be 0-10, but head coach Hue Jackson apparently isn’t in danger of losing his job. Executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown told reporters that Jackson won’t be fired despite the team’s losing record.

“We are not focused on 0-16,” Brown said (via Tom Withers of the Associated Press). “Hue is going to be here as our head coach. We talked about continuity being one of the core premises of what we wanted accomplished going out in January. We know that we have a head coach that can be successful here and lead us to a lot of victories and a lot of winning.”

Let’s take a look at some other notes out of Cleveland…

For what it’s worth, Jackson never thought he was close to losing his job. “I never thought I was going anywhere,” he said. “I know that’s been part of the plan since Day 1, before I took the job. I felt very comfortable. I know there has been a lot of mudslinging going around, but I get it. That’s part of it when you have the record that we do, I expect things to be said. But we are comfortable and we know exactly what we’re trying to do.”
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes that the decision to fire Jackson would ultimately be up to the team’s owners, Jimmy and Dee Haslam. Furthermore, Florio notes that no one has said that the head coach is definitively safe if the team does finish the season without a victory.
Marla Ridenour of Ohio.com writes that Browns’ refusal to acknowledge his team’s mistakes during the draft “doesn’t bode well” for the Browns’ future. When asked if the team made a mistake dealing away the second-overall pick (or if they made a mistake selecting Cody Kessler), Brown continued to preach the team’s process, stating they were “pleased with the decision we made.”
Robert Griffin III is hoping to see the field again this season. The quarterback told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that he hopes to return from his shoulder injury in 2016. “We’ve got six games left this year, a chance to finish strong, and if I get a chance to be a part of that, I definitely want to,” Griffin said. Brown told reporters that Griffin is on pace to return this season, but he notes that the decision will ultimately be up to Jackson. Griffin is eligible to be activated from the injured reserve at any time.

GMs Believe Browns Will Trade Joe Thomas

October 26th, 2016 at 3:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Hue Jackson says that Joe Thomas isn’t going anywhere, but several GMs around the league believe that VP Sashi Brown will in fact trade him, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Brown tried hard to trade Thomas last year and called multiple teams around the league to get something done. Jackson wants to hold on to the multiple-time Pro Bowler and Thomas doesn’t want to be traded, but it ultimately won’t be up to either of them.

So far this season, the advanced numbers at Pro Football Focus have Thomas tied for No. 8 out of 75 qualified tackles. Thomas’ run blocking is starter quality but his 87.4 overall score for pass blocking puts him in elite company. There are a number of contending teams with offensive line issues as the trade deadline approaches and the Browns are predictably hearing from clubs with interest.

The Browns are now 0-7 after losing to the Bengals on Sunday. With no hope of making the playoffs, Brown could be inclined to pull the trigger, even if it upsets his first-year head coach.

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