Cleveland Browns: 10 players to look at in free agency
By Thomas Moore
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones returned to form in 2015 after missing the 2014 season due to lower-leg injuries, posting 65 receptions for 815 yards and four touchdowns, numbers that would have placed him a solid third among the Browns receivers.
While Jones is not a large wide receiver, at 6-foot-1 and 199 pounds he would add some much-needed size to a Browns receiving group that trends to the smaller side.
Signing Jones would also have the added benefit of taking away a productive player from a divisional rival, which is always nice. Jones also said this week that he is ready to see what free agency can bring.
“I’d like to be back, but at the same time I am a free agent – no hometown discount, definitely not – but I’m a free agent,” Jones said. “It wouldn’t be good for me not to test the waters a little bit. So it’s just an exciting process.
“In terms of the money, that’s an issue that they’ll hash out. But at the same time, I want to be a great wide receiver in this league. Sometimes an opportunity presents itself. If it’s a good opportunity for me as we sit back and weigh the options, the pros and cons to everything, then it might happen.”
Jones is reportedly looking for a new deal that will pay him close to $7 million per season, an amount that would make him one of the top 21 highest paid wide receivers in the league. With the Bengals already paying A.J. Green top dollar, having two wide receivers in the top 20 may be more than the Bengals want to take on.
Of course, with a thin wide receiver group hitting free agency, that $7 million could just be a starting point as several teams may be courting Jones.
The Browns have the money to compete, though, and if they were willing to pay Dwayne Bowe $9 million, they may not have a problem kicking in a few extra dollars to sign Jones if the need to.
Next: Linebacker Jerrell Freeman