Contract details will be important for the former top overall pick in the NFL draft
The Cleveland Browns have had a mostly ho-hum offseason so far but the fate of QB Joe Flacco was bound to interrupt that. All of last week, we heard rumors and reports that Flacco was likely to return to the Browns.
The quarterback who led Cleveland to the playoffs even said he wanted to return “all things being equal.”
Day 1 of NFL free agency came and went without a sign that Flacco and the Browns were in negotiations. In fact, we heard a rumor on Monday, and again Tuesday, that Jameis Winston was the QB Cleveland had their eyes on.
Late Tuesday morning came a report that the Browns and Winston have come to a contract agreement:
BREAKING: Free agent QB Jameis Winston is close to finalizing a 1-year deal worth up to $8.7M with the #Browns, sources tell @BleacherReport.
Winston fielded interest from multiple teams and decided this morning that he’s going to Cleveland. pic.twitter.com/h7wReAN66T
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 12, 2024
Contract details are always key. The report notes “up to $8.7 million but what is guaranteed and paid out is the most important thing. It is likely that Winston’s actual contract is much lower but that he can earn a significant raise if he is thrust into starting in place of Deshaun Watson.
Update:
We finally have some contract details:
When Jameis Winston’s one-year deal is finalized to become the #Browns‘ backup QB, it’s expected to include a base value of $4 million guaranteed with upside. The third NFL stop for Winston, who has 80 career starts and now slots in as Deshaun Watson’s backup in Cleveland. pic.twitter.com/Uq8qNsV8sE
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 13, 2024
In his free agency profile, our Tom Moore was not big on the potential of adding Winston to Cleveland. Winston spent five years as a starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he completed just 61% of his passes with 121 touchdowns and 88 interceptions. Winston had the first 30 TD, 30 INT season in league history in 2019.
Following that, Winston spent four years as the primary backup for the New Orleans Saints. He played in 21 games since 2020 with a 60% completion percentage, 20 TDs and 11 INTs.
Winston has also proven to be a big personality.
Browns fans will be honed in on the details of the contract and what happens now with Flacco.
What do you think about the Browns move from Winston to Flacco?
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