Cleveland Browns sign Jamie Collins to a new deal
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns opened the off-season with a bang by agreeing to a new contract with former Pro Bowl linebacker Jamie Collins.
The Cleveland Browns and linebacker Jamie Collins have agreed on a four-year deal.
The team announced the move on its website.
Cleveland swung a deal for the former Pro Bowl linebacker at the trade deadline in October, gambling that head coach Hue Jackson could convince Collins to be part of the rebuilding effort. That gamble paid off as, despite finishing the season at 1-15 and seeing his former team make the Super Bowl, Collins agreed to a new deal.
“We are going to be aggressive about acquiring talent, and when we had the opportunity to trade for Jamie back in October, it was done with the intent of him becoming a long-term part of our defense,” executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown. “Jamie has shown throughout his NFL career that he is a very talented player with a rare skill set that allows him to impact games in a number of ways. He’s a versatile, smart, competitive and physical football player who has experienced winning at the highest level.”
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Collins only played eight games for the Browns, but still finished third on the team in tackles and clearly made an impact as his presence helped players like fellow linebacker Christian Kirksey and nose tackle Danny Shelton make a major impact.
While the Browns did not release the money side of the new deal, Nate Ulrich of The Beacon Journal reported that the contract is worth up to $50 million with $26 million in guaranteed money. If those numbers prove accurate, the deal will make Collins the fourth-highest paid linebacker in the league behind Von Miller of the Denver Broncos, Justin Houston of the Kansas City Chiefs and Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers.
“I want to thank the Cleveland Browns organization for giving me this opportunity,” Collins said in a team released statement. “From the day I walked in the door, I felt welcomed by my new teammates and everyone in this organization. The past is the past as far as last season’s record, but today is a new day. I’m only looking forward. I know we have a lot of work to do, and with Coach Hue leading us and the front office bringing in talent, I feel like we are going to get there and I feel good about continuing my career here.”
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The deal is a great start to the off-season for the Browns and sends a signal to the rest of the league – which is terrified that the new front office knows what it is doing – that things are changing for the better.