Written by Mary Kay Cabot at Cleveland.com.
On the first day of free agency, the Browns lost two-fifths of their offensive line in center Alex Mack and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, their starting free safety in Tashaun Gipson, and their speedy receiver and returner in Travis Benjamin.
Along the way, the front office, led by Executive Vice President Sashi Brown, got hammered from coast-to-coast for botching the day. NFL Network analysts blasted them all afternoon, and words like “debacle” and “disaster” described them on social media. In addition to losing some of their own free agents, they also failed to land any of the big-name players they had been linked to, such as Bengals receiver Marvin Jones.
But Brown and coach Hue Jackson had made it clear that they wouldn’t panic, that they’d be disciplined and that they’d build through the draft. Jackson went so far as to say “it will not be disappointing” if we lose the big-four free agents.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at what happened on the challenging first day:
1. Mitchell Schwartz: The Browns made Schwartz an offer shortly before the NFL Combine that was far below what he felt he could get on the open market. Sources said it was somewhere in the $7 million a year range. His agent, Deryk Gilmore, told the Browns that the former second-round pick would test free agency. Schwartz’ goal was about $8 million to $10 million a year, taking into account the growing importance of the position against the Von Millers of the world. When Schwartz opted to test the market, the Browns assumed he was gone and turned their attention to other players.
On Wednesday morning, a source told cleveland.com that Schwartz’ best opportunity still appeared to be with Cleveland, and that he might be headed back there. But when they approached the Browns about the pre-combine offer, they were told it no longer stood. It may have been posturing on the Browns’ part, but hopes of reaching a deal were apparently dashed when NFL Network reported that the Browns had pulled their offer.
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